Rogers to wives: Seek the shadow of His wings

CAPE GIRARDEAU – Her “living Bible concordance,” the love of her life since grade school, is gone, but Joyce Rogers said her husband’s words still speak to her.

Rogers spoke at the Ministry Wives Luncheon during the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) annual meeting, just a few weeks short of the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death. Adrian Rogers, beloved pastor and a leader of the conservative movement within the Southern Baptist Convention, left a legacy of standing for the word of God.

“That will go on in my life forever and the lives of my children,” Rogers told the women.

In her sorrow, Rogers said she could remember her husband telling his congregation to pillow their souls upon the providence of God.

“I can hear him saying that. I do that and I have slept well,” she said, although she still grieves. “It is hard, but it is getting better.”

A pastor’s wife for 54 years, Rogers shared her words of wisdom with the ladies at the annual luncheon and also sang a hymn.

“Whether you’re a widow or not, we all experience storms in life. Yes, even in a pastor’s home,” she said.

Besides her recent loss, Rogers also shared the pain of losing an infant son on Mother’s Day when she was 25 years old. She claimed Psalms 91:4 as her personal Scripture.

“You must run and run as fast as you can under the shadow of His wings,” Rogers said. “It is a real place where you can run and hide when you’re in trouble. How do you get there? You don’t take the train; you have to get there by trusting.”

And the more we know about God, the more we can trust him, she said, describing how a friend sent her a pillowcase embroidered with the names of God. She studied those names and found comfort in them.

“I have reminded God over and over again that He is always there and has promised never to forsake us.” Rogers said she also followed God’s command to praise Him, whether she felt like it or not. “I can sing and cry at the same time, how about you?”

To the ministers’ wives, she gave a special charge to support their husbands.

“No man is perfect. No pastor is perfect. We know our husbands’ weaknesses better than anyone,” she said. “But you’re not perfect either. Don’t be trying to build Mr. Impossible.”

Rogers shared how her husband hung his pants on the bedroom door, a habit which always irritated her. “It would be nice to have those pants hanging on the door now,” she said, her voice breaking with tears.

Rogers also addressed the entire convention briefly, thanking them for their prayers and saying she felt like one of the most prayed for women in America. Cindy Jackson, one of the organizers of the luncheon, said they knew Rogers perfectly fulfilled the event’s theme of “Leaving a Legacy.”

“She is a woman of wisdom and a great example to all of us,” Jackson said.

In closing her presentation, Rogers said the Lord not only met her needs today, he showed her he had a plan for tomorrow.

“I discovered there was both help and hope under the shadow of His wings.”