The Other Side of Ministry: What Nobody Tells You About the Christian Life

Meta Description: Every believer faces the "other side" of ministry — trials, afflictions, and hard seasons. But Psalm 34:19 holds a promise that changes everything. URL Slug: the-other-side-of-ministry-psalm-34 Featured Image: A split image or pathway photo — one side sunlit and bright, the other side shadowed but with light breaking through at the end of the path, symbolizing the journey through affliction toward God's deliverance.

There's a saying that captures something I've witnessed over 40 years of pastoral ministry: you see our glory, but you don't know our story. And this past Sunday, I decided it was time to talk about the story — the real one.

Ministry has been wonderful. Pastoring this church has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. But if I'm being honest with you — and I believe you deserve my honesty — it hasn't always been easy. There have been seasons when times were tough, trying, and genuinely difficult. I've never shown it from this pulpit, because God called me to preach his word and encourage his people. But today, I want to talk about those hard seasons, and more importantly, how we get through them.

I'm calling it the other side of ministry.

The Text That Changed How I See Suffering

Turn with me to Psalm 34:19. One verse. One powerful verse:

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all."

David wrote this psalm during a season of praise. Just a few verses earlier, he was declaring, "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth." He was magnifying God, exalting his name, living in the overflow of God's goodness.

And then — just a few verses later — we hear his cry: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous."

In just a matter of moments, David has gone from divine preservation to human persecution. From joy to pain. From sunshine to rain. Such is the life of every believer, whether we want to admit it or not.

The Plight: Why Do the Righteous Suffer So Much?

Here's what David is really wrestling with. He's not surprised that he's afflicted — he understands we live in a fallen world. What gets him is the word many. Not occasionally. Not every few years. Many are the afflictions.

I can handle every once in a while. I can handle every now and then. But, God — why so often?

Can anyone relate to David's cry? Job certainly could. In a single day, Job lost his health, his wealth, and his family. Not over weeks or months — in one day. And the painful truth the text reveals is this: Job was a righteous man. A godly man. He had done nothing to deserve what he received.

Just because you're born again, you are not exempt from affliction. Just because you're saved, you are not exempt from suffering. Just because you're Spirit-filled, you are not exempt from trouble.

The Problem: Affliction Doesn't Make Sense for the Righteous

Here's my honest struggle with this text. The word "affliction" and the word "righteous" have no business being in the same verse. I could have handled it better if the Bible said many are the afflictions of the criminal, the liar, or the lost sinner. Then I could simply conclude they're reaping what they've sown.

But that's not what the text says.

What this means is that afflictions come our way not because of who you are, but because of whose you are. Jesus himself said, "In this world you will have tribulation." Satan's main objective is to steal, kill, and destroy every child of God. He wants you to doubt God, give up on God, throw in the towel, and lose faith.

The other side of ministry is this hard reality: you can do everything right — dot every i, cross every t — and still face affliction. I've had seasons in these 40 years where I asked God, "Why? I'm not perfect, but I'm faithful. Why is this happening?" And I've come to understand that being faithful doesn't mean being exempt.

The Promise: But the Lord Delivers

Now here is where everything changes. Look at the second half of that verse:

"...but the Lord delivers him out of them all."

That word but is doing a lot of work. Grammatically, it's a negative conjunction — it negates everything that came before it. But spiritually, it's what I call a sanctified conjunction. Just when things looked bad. Just when it looked like it was over. Just when I was about to go under — God put a "but" in my situation.

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all.

Not some. Not most. All.

No matter the addiction. No matter the diagnosis. No matter the storm, the pain, the disaster, or the duration — God says he'll put a "but" in your situation. Your affliction is temporary. It is for a specific season and a specific reason. This too shall pass.

It's Already Written in the Script

I love action movies, and I've always been fascinated by how James Bond manages to escape every impossible situation. On a cruise ship — his tie becomes an oxygen supply. Thrown from an airplane — a button on his coat becomes a parachute. Strapped to a laser — his watch stops the machine.

I finally found the answer on the History Channel one afternoon, watching a documentary on the making of James Bond. You know how he always gets out? It's written in the script that way.

And that's exactly why we've made it. The reason this church has grown from 65 members to where we are today — through hurricanes, heartbreak, betrayal, and every hard thing — is because it was written in the script.

"No weapon formed against you shall prosper" — it's in the script. "I have been young, and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken" — it's in the script. "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose" — it's in the script.

They arrested Jesus on Friday. Beat him on Friday. Hung him on a cross on Friday. Laid him in a borrowed tomb. Put a rock in front of the rock. But early Sunday morning, Jesus got up with all power in his hand. How did he do it?

It was written in the script.

You Don't Have to Face This Alone

None of us are exempt from hard times. Every believer — at some point in your journey — will face the other side of ministry. But here is the good news: you don't have to face it by yourself.

The Lord delivers him out of them all. Not the pastor. Not the deacons. Not the church leaders. The Lord.

So hang in there. You are going to make it. I know in my heart that we are going to make it — because it is written in the script.

If you're in a hard season right now and you need prayer or want to talk about what you're going through, reach out to us. We are here for you.

Social Media Excerpt (Facebook/Instagram): You can do everything right — live faithfully, serve wholeheartedly — and still face affliction. But Psalm 34:19 holds a promise that changes everything: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all." God always puts a "but" in your situation. Read this week's message and be encouraged. 🙏

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