You Can Persevere in Hard Things with Jill Briscoe
April 16, 2020
Jennie Allen
Bible teacher, founder of IF:Gathering
Jill Briscoe is a hero for us all, and we're so grateful to have on her the podcast today to give us some perspective. She has walked through many difficult things and always teaches us how to walk through life with an eternal mindset.
Jill, I know this has been a difficult time for you, especially with your sister. Tell everyone a little bit about that.
Three weeks ago she went to heaven with the virus. She lives in England, UK. When I got the news at four in the morning, I went into a little bit of a shock, but immediately felt the distance of America and Britain. We raised here 50 years ago. That has always been incredible trauma when there's been a death of my mom or anything because I'm so far. I see on the television that that's the cry of most people who cannot go and be there with the loved ones at this moment. I understood that in vivid technicolor three weeks ago. Anyway, as I immediately ran to the deep place where nobody goes and had a conversation with the Lord, he said to me, "Jill, do you remember the last seminar that you preached?" I said yes Lord, it was about prayer. I told them you can go anywhere on your knees. So for three terrible weeks, I went and was able to in my heart, take her hand, which her sons and husbands were doing for 16 terrible days and she walked through the valley. I discovered that where there is a shadow of death, there's always light. So there was light in my heart. Enough light to read his word. I would say to her on the phone, see you soon. That's the hope of the Christian. I go back to that song, even though you walk through the Valley of the shadow of death, fear no evil. I am with you all the way home. So those of you who are going to walk that Valley, cast yourself into the arms of the shepherd. Say the Lord is my shepherd right here and right now. As you walk through the valley, whether this will be your time, or when your time comes, remember there is light and one day there will be no more sickness, no more pain, no more suffering, new bodies, and all the people you love waiting.
Jill, I remember when we met, I had this overwhelming sense that you were supposed to be part of IF:Gathering. I don't even think it had started yet, but I sensed that you were meant to show us the way home. You did that the first time you stood in front of us, and you're doing that today. I'm so sorry for your loss. And I'm so grateful for how you trust and love Jesus and how it helps us trust and love Jesus. That's why I wanted you to talk to us today, because some days it's easier to trust and love Jesus. Then there's other days that everybody's very confused and it feels like we're spinning and we don't know how to put our feet down. So I'd love to ask you a few questions about endurance and about perseverance because you've walked through many seasons of life that have not been easy. You and I know this isn't hard. For many of us that haven't lost somebody we love yet and we're just at home homeschooling kids and trying to run to the grocery store and find a mask and toilet paper. This isn't actually suffering. I definitely have that perspective for many of us. For some it is real suffering, they are on the front lines, or they're fighting in prayer for a loved one. But I want to talk about a time where you had to endure and how God was faithful to you in that?
I've traveled all around the world, as you know. I've visited all sorts of unbelievable, hellish places for world relief and any suffering I've endured pales into insignificance to the things I've seen abroad in India. I have learned from the Christians there, those that have a relationship with God, have all the power and help from heaven, whatever happens. My husband preached a wonderful series on Philippians and we called it "Whatever Happens." I have read that book over and over again to remind me whatever happens, Paul said it, that if you know God, he will be all you need. He'll be your high tower. He'll be your help in ages past and the strength in years to come. You've got to know him. And the first verse of that song, it says it: "Is the Lord your shepherd?" The Lord is my shepherd. It's knowing that. Even if you haven't got to know him very well, it doesn't matter, you know him. So endurance means finding out how to apply the Bible every single moment of every day basically. you've got to know it. You've got to read it. You've got to learn it. You've got to mark it. You've got to memorize it. It's the word that will feed you and help you and comfort you and strengthen you. So you learn the hard way when something hard hits you. And the problem is when something does hit you like this, the first reaction is, why did you let this happen Lord? Where are you God? Standing in the corner of my life with your hands in your pockets? Where are you Lord? Well, the thing to do is just get on your knees and say, "sorry Lord, help me." That's a great cry. If you don't know what to say, don't. Just say, "read me Lord." Just kneel down now where you are and say, "read me Lord." Then ask him to give you his source. Give your mind to him and ask the Holy spirit, if you know him, that person of the Trinity living inside you, he will explain his word to you. Go and get your Bible and just start and read. It doesn't matter where. Just say, "read me as I read your word. Show yourself to me and he will." Practice that and you will endure. There's no other way. You do your part, he'll do his.
Let's talk about the people right now that feel alone. They can't see their kids or maybe they're single and they aren't with family. Talk to them just a little bit about what it feels like to walk with Jesus in this unique season of being so isolated.
It's something I've been praying about. Those people who are locked up in your house with family, and it isn't good. You're in the middle of a divorce and now you're living with somebody that abuses you. What's happening in your family could be a bigger battle than what's happening outside your door. So what do you do? Well, you have a high tower to run into and do what I've just told you. Cast yourself on the Lord. He will help you. I've had more conversations with people who, the last place they want to be is in their home at the moment, for different reasons. So this is your dark valley, but remember there's light there for you. Then there's those of us that have wonderful marriages and we're shut up with our husbands, which I am. We're in isolation and we're learning to live together. We have been separated in mission as you know. There were ten years when he traveled eight months of the year. So I learned to do without a husband then. That was a long time ago and now I've got him back full time because we've not been together. We just keep your sense of humor! Laughter is medicine! Then, if you've got the kids on top of it, especially teenagers, I'm going to pray a special prayer for you.
I would love to hear a story from your past where you were going through something darker and harder than this, and how God has provided.
I think I want to say something about fear. Now you know me a little bit. I have about 102 sermons on it. I was alone at one time with my little one, my first baby, at a big castle. It was a youth center and we were at one of the largest, most gorgeous castles. Then there were lodges, little tiny houses at the gates. We were in one of those. So I was pretty well alone. And then my husband began to travel for that mission and that was when I was alone for those eight years, raising three kids actually. But my first baby, he didn't talk for ages. Now I'm an educator and I should have realized he was nearly two and all he did was grunt and point. Stuart happened to be home for a brief month and he was up at the office and suddenly he talks! He said two words, and I looked at him with joy, and I put him in the pram and rushed up to tell my husband. I ran into the office, three spinster ladies were there, and I said, "he talked, he talked! He said something!" Stuart asked me what he said, and I said, "he said oh dear!" Where had he heard that? If there's a fear that's paralyzing you, that's very important. The Devil will make you fear. He's the master of fear. I was on a missionary journey in Wycliffe, when the country was in turmoil. They had captured some missionaries from our church and other people's churches. They were in the forest by Wycliffe center and the head of Wycliffe called us and said, "I want you and Stuart to come. We're going to fly in because it's surrounded with all these people. We need to go." They had a school there of 600 missionary kids, but it meant flying in over the people surrounding the place. I just froze and Stuart said, "Jill I'm going. It would probably be easier for me if you didn't, but you have to find out what God wants you to do." And I could not say yes. Took me a long time and in the end I had to tell him whether I was going or not. I stayed home from church and I went up to the study and started reading some things. It was about martyrs and while I was reading, I said, "Lord, I can't do this." Right at the bottom of one of the chapters, there was a little poem, but I can only remember the last two lines: "Courage is fear that has said its prayers." So I got down on my knees. I went frightened. I stayed frightened. And I will never stop being grateful I went because of what that did, not only for the kids in that school, but for me. And it's the biggest lesson. Do not let the devil frighten you to be a statue of fear. Just say, Lord, give me enough courage to be obedient. Then just take the first step. You'll find the courage is waiting for you after you've taken the first step into the situation.
Jill, you are more passionate about sharing Jesus with people than almost anybody I've ever met. And you've done it for so long. Talk about why your hope would be that we all would want to share Jesus the way you've shared Jesus.
It's a choice, Jennie. That's what scares me. That gives you a joy in the midst of fear that nothing does. Joy is Jesus. God in Galilean cloth making my heart smile. He gives you enough light and enough laughter. Laughter is medicine. It's a release. I want Stuart to write something on humor. I remember him saying to me when we first got married, "you're not much fun Jill." Thank God he has the greatest sense of humor. He's known for his humor and God knew that he would keep me alive till I was 86. I'm not saying laugh at terrible things at all. I'm just saying joy is deeper than happiness. Joy is a subtleness. It's a peace. You can't have joy without peace. Peace that passes understanding is far greater than just "happy happenings." Joy is a deep sense of "he's here." It's a consciousness that he's with you. First it starts in the head and depending on the situation, it's not going to last in your heart if you've just lost your sister or whatever. Read the Psalms. He'll give you the oil of joy for mourning. Joy is the conscious presence of God within your soul. I can't explain it or describe it. I'm just telling you that is what happens when you cast yourself on the Lord for life, for death, and for everything in between. I just love to think, Jennie, that anyone hearing this now, you don't need to go somewhere to do it. You can just say, "help!" I'm encouraged with Jesus when it says in Hebrews, "with loud cries, he pled to his father. Is there any other than the cross?" It's talking about Gethsemane. His Father said, if there was I would've found it. If I hadn't chosen to have the human race in heaven with me, I wouldn't have had to send you to die a terrible death on the cross. And Jesus said then, "not my will, but thine." So there will be times for us that we have to die to ourselves and to what's happening and just get on with it. I've found in hospice work and things like that, nothing talks more than my tears. I don't need to find words. I did a sermon on Job's comforters. They left their home and everything, they saw him from afar, and they cried, and sat with him for 7 days, saying nothing. Just go and be there. Don't worry about words. That taught me how to go and listen. Listen long enough to get to what's actually wrong.