Have you ever wondered what the Bible says about disability? Thankfully God is not silent on the topic of disability. He has so many amazing things to say about disability. So why do we as individuals and the Church collectively seem to miss what God has to say? There are a lot of reasons why. The one I want to focus on today is the reason why we miss most things in our lives. We are too busy. Or we think we are too busy.
I was guilty of this too several years ago. At the time I was the Family Pastor at First Christian Church in Canton, OH. My duties included but weren’t limited to overseeing all things that happened in Children’s Ministry, Student Ministry, or Special Needs Ministry which only consisted of a class for adults at the time, and anything to do with families.
It was during this time that the Holy Spirit was stirring within me and directing me to a new phase in my ministry career. He was preparing me to transition from my position as Family Pastor at First Christian and to become the full-time Disability Ministry Pastor there. I didn’t know what all that meant but the passion that was awoken within me was something that couldn’t be ignored.
As God grew our disability ministry by leaps and bounds the full-time switch became a necessity. I found myself too busy to do the groundwork of the “why” behind the “what” that I was doing. I told myself that I didn’t really need to because this ministry was clearly at the heart of God. Not only that but it aligned with both my family charge Bible verse and my ministry calling Bible verse.
“No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah 6:8 NLT
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
ensure justice for those being crushed.”
Proverbs 31:8 NLT
I saw myself as an advocate at the time because I did not have a family member or loved one affected by disability in my life. For me, that was good enough, so I hit the ground running. Go, go, go!
It wasn’t until years later that I was able to stop to and breathe. It was in this brief moment of respite that I was able to study the “why” behind the “what” that I was doing.
Thankfully my suspicions were true. God did have a lot to say about disability in the Bible. Disability is something that God is passionate about. But, what if I was wrong? What if I were merely building a ministry on social justice or a civil rights platform? Would that have been enough to sustain me in this ministry effort? My guess is no.
Scripture & truth are foundational to everything that we do. Disability ministry is no different.
I did it backward and got lucky. Don’t follow my example. Build your ministry on a strong foundation, the truth.
Check out our free resource on the top disability-related verses from the Bible. This is just a selection, but some that we believe are foundational.
At Ability Ministry we are passionate about all the resources that we create for churches. There are some resources however that are just special and stand out above the rest. This is clearly one of them. Download it today. Print it. Post it in your office or somewhere you will see it daily. Share it others. May it be a foundational piece for your ministry. May it provide an answer for you in a time where you find yourself without one. May it be an encouragement to you when you have a day that makes you wonder if it is worth it.
