THE CRISIS SPARES NO ONE
Isaiah 24:1–3 says:
1 See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants— 2 it will be the same for priest as for people, for the master as for his servant, for the mistress as for her servant, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor. 3 The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The Lord has spoken this word. (Isaiah 24:1–3)
This is a prophecy about the Babylonian captivity. God was going to punish the land because of His people’s idolatry. But we linger over these verses because they paint, in vivid images, the picture of a crisis. At this moment the whole world is in an economic crisis, and that crisis is everywhere. It comes upon everyone — upon the people, and upon the priests alike. In those days the priests were a special class that enjoyed certain privileges; they were supported by the tithes of the people. Yet even so, in a time of crisis, what happens to ordinary people happens to the priests as well; what happens to servants happens to their masters — not only the servants are affected by the crisis, but their masters too. “For seller as for buyer” — the buyer has no money to buy, but when there are no buyers, the seller in turn has no turnover from which to profit. The crisis touches everyone — both the poorer and the richer. The one who has taken a loan and cannot repay it suffers, but so does the one who gave the loan, because he cannot earn from the interest; and even if he seizes the borrower’s pledged property, he cannot sell it in a time of crisis, because no one buys in a time of crisis, and even if he does sell it, the price will be far lower than the original value, so he still loses, and loses greatly. So when the economy is in crisis, it is bad both for workers and for employers, both for producers and for merchants, both for bankers and for those who have taken loans. It is another matter that God does not want us to live in debt, but to enjoy financial freedom. But my point here is that when the crisis comes, it is everywhere and touches everyone — it spares no one.
What I have told you so far is nothing new — we all know it, and we know it from experience. But the good news is that in God’s Word there are principles which, if we apply them to our lives, will help us not only to overcome the crisis, but to be blessed in it.
A CRISIS IS SOMETHING NORMAL; WE MUST NOT BE AFRAID OF IT
The first principle that would help us cope with a crisis is to realize that a crisis is something normal, and we must not be afraid of it.
Webster’s dictionary defines the word crisis as “a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events is determined.” Clearly, a crisis is something extremely important. It is normal, yet at the same time it is a turning point that determines our future. Because if we overcome it, we will enter into something better; but within the crisis itself there is also danger — if we do not act rightly, we may be lost in it, and our condition may become far worse than before. So a crisis is a very decisive moment, and it matters greatly how we act in a time of crisis, because our actions and our attitude during a crisis will determine the outcome of the crisis — what will happen when the crisis has passed.
Our life is a sequence of situations or events. A crisis is the period of transition in which we leave one situation in order to enter a new one. A crisis is the exchange of one stable state for another. At a given moment our life looks like a straight, horizontal line — we have a job, we receive our salary, things are fine; but in the next moment things begin to worsen — there is talk of layoffs, then we ourselves turn up on the list, and finally we are left without work — the direction of our life turns downward. In that downward movement everything in our life begins to fall apart — we may have no finances, it may be a crisis in relationships, it may even be a health crisis, but at that moment we are losing what we had. We leave what we were in, in order to enter the crisis. And when we enter the crisis, things move down, down, down, down… until a moment when they reach the bottom of the crisis. Because, after all, there is a bottom, isn’t there? Once they reach the bottom, things can go no lower, and they begin to move upward. When they move upward, they reach a new level — a level at which the problems that produced the crisis find some resolution. Then our life settles at that new level.
But there are two possibilities. One possibility is that we come out of the crisis at a far higher and better level than the one we were at when we entered it, and there things are much better, because either we or God has removed the problems that led us into the crisis. The other possibility, however, is that we do not act rightly in the crisis and lose entirely what we had before it, and our new condition becomes far worse than the first. So it matters greatly what we do in the time of crisis.
That is why we need to know that a crisis is not something terrible, a crisis is not something extraordinary. A crisis is something normal, and we must not be afraid of it. Because, in fact, the crisis is the period between our going out and our coming in. We go out of one state and come into another, and the time between the going out and the coming in is the crisis. But the going out and the coming in themselves are natural to our life. Just think how many times a day you go out of one room in order to enter another. How many doors do you pass through in a day? Passing through each door involves going out and coming in. For example, to come into this room where we are now, you also passed through at least two doors — the one at your home and the one at the church. Every morning when you wake up, you go out of your bedroom and enter the bathroom. Then you leave your home and go to your workplace or somewhere else. Every move from one place to another has two phases — leaving the one place and entering the other. Coming in and going out are part not only of our physical life, but are also natural moments in every area of our life. We pass through the various situations of our life in the same way we pass through various doors. And the time between leaving our starting place or stable situation and entering a new place or stable situation is the period we call a crisis.
KEPT IN THE CRISIS
In other words, a crisis is a period of transition in which going out gives way to coming in. And the good news is that God has promised us that He will keep and protect us during this crisis. Psalm 121:8 says:
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (Psalm 121:8)
While we travel, we are in a period of crisis. We have left the security of our home in order to reach the point of our destination — where we want to go. But during this “crisis” — our journey — some incident or accident may happen to us. That is why, when someone is traveling from somewhere and we are waiting for him, if he is delayed we begin to worry whether something has happened to him. But God has promised us that He will keep us from all evil. Glory to God! Psalm 91:9–12 says:
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:9–12)
What I want to tell you is that God will keep us in the crises through which we pass, and they will not harm us!
BLESSED IN THE CRISIS
In itself this is wonderful news, but there is something even better. And it is that God will not only keep and shield us during our crises, but He will also bless us in the crisis. His will for us is not merely to survive the crisis, but to be blessed in the crisis. In Deuteronomy 28:6 we read:
6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. (Deuteronomy 28:6)
Before he starts a job, a person is in a crisis — he is unemployed. When he leaves a job, he is again in a crisis. Before he marries, a person is in a crisis; when he loses his partner, he is again in a crisis. Think about it, and you will see that our whole life consists only of comings in and goings out and crises. Birth itself is a crisis in which we come out of our mother’s womb and enter this world. We usually rejoice at the comings in — starting a job, a successful admission to university, a birth, entering into marriage… But God wants us to be blessed not only when we come in, but also when we go out — to be blessed during the crisis — after the going out and before the coming in (the death of a loved one, a layoff from work, a move from one home to another).
There is a whole book in the Bible devoted to going out — its name is “Exodus.” To go out is something normal. And whenever we go out of any stable state, we enter a crisis. And so I want to ask you: “Is it possible for a person to be in a crisis and at the same time to be in God’s will?” I think the answer to this question is “Yes.” A crisis is something normal, and it is often precisely when we are in the middle of the crisis that we grow the most.
IN GOD’S WILL DURING A CRISIS
Every change is accompanied by a crisis. Abraham had to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household in order to go to the Promised Land (Genesis 12:1).
1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. (Genesis 12:1)
How did the patriarchs come to settle in Egypt? That too was brought about by a crisis — seven years of famine (Genesis 42:1–3).
1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” 2 He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.” 3 Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. (Genesis 42:1–3)
How did the resettlement of Israel from Egypt to Canaan come about? It too was brought about by a crisis (Exodus 1:8–14).
8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly. (Exodus 1:8–14)
So I ask you again:
- “Was it God’s will for the patriarchs to go to Egypt?” The answer to this question is yes.
- “Was it God’s will for Israel to come out of Egypt?” The answer to this question is again yes.
We find confirmation of this in Genesis 15:13–14, where God foretold to Abraham that this would happen:
13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. (Genesis 15:13–14)
So, is it possible to be in God’s will during a crisis? Yes.
TO PASS SUCCESSFULLY THROUGH THE CRISIS, WE MUST NEVER STOP LOOKING IN PERSPECTIVE TOWARD ITS ULTIMATE GOAL
In order to accept the crisis as something normal, we must do two things. First, look at it from God’s point of view. And second, see it in perspective. We must not see the crisis only up to the moment when things are going downward. That is extremely dangerous. We must see its goal and its end, and also its upward part.
Perhaps you know that the Chinese character for the word crisis is a combination of two other characters — the one for “danger” and the one for “opportunity.” This fact reminds us that in a crisis we must see not only the danger of losing the status quo, but also the opportunity for change for the better.
God never leads us out of somewhere merely to bring us into a crisis. If He leads us out of somewhere, it is only in order to bring us into something better. In Psalm 66:8–12 it says:
8 Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; 9 he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. 10 For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. 11 You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. 12 You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. (Psalm 66:8–12)
Do you see — our path passes through crises. And these crises can be caused or brought about by God. But God never leaves us in the crisis. He always brings us out into a broad and “abundant” place.
God did not lead the Israelites out of Egypt in order to wear them out in the wilderness. He led them out of the land of slavery in order to bring them into the land of freedom — a land that would be their own possession and their inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:7–10; Deuteronomy 6:23)!
God wanted to lead them into the Promised Land. But before He could bring them in, He had to lead them out! And before He brought them in, they had to pass through the wilderness. The wilderness was the crisis through which they had to pass.
And here I want to emphasize that it matters greatly how we look at the crisis. Do we look at the crisis as a road to glory, or as a graveyard in which we must die? If we look at the crisis with pessimism, this can prevent us from coming out of it. A whole generation of Israelites died in the wilderness, because at a certain moment they saw no way out of the wilderness. In Numbers 14:1–4 we read:
1 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” (Numbers 14:1–4)
At that moment the eyes of the Israelites were turned away from their ultimate goal. They did not see the crisis in perspective. They did not see the opportunity, they saw only the danger. And this attitude of theirs killed them.
Joshua and Caleb passed through the same crisis, but they entered the Promised Land, because they never took their eyes off God’s goal for them (Numbers 14:6–8).
6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. (Numbers 14:6–8)
Look — it says that “he will lead us into that land” and He “will give it to us”! So we must never look toward the decline, we must not look back, but look toward the goal that God has for us. And we as Christians must not forget that God’s highest goal for us in our life is not that we should live well. God’s highest goal for our life is that we should enter into God’s glory. And in Hebrews 12 it tells us how to run the race set before us — by looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. We must not take our eyes off Jesus! And perhaps sometimes God sends crises into our lives so that we can turn back to Him. As in the time of the judges: when all was well with them, the Israelites did as they pleased and began to worship other gods. Then God allowed their enemies to defeat them. And when Israel fell into captivity, it cried out to God, and He raised up a deliverer who delivered them. And afterward they again forgot the God of their fathers. But we must never forget Jesus Christ! For He is our Redeemer! In Hebrews 12:1–3 we read:
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1–3)
Notice, Jesus left us an example. For He too passed through a crisis, He passed through the crucifixion, He passed through the shadow of death… But He “endured.” Why? Because He looked to “the joy set before him” — the joy of the resurrection, the joy of winning the whole world, of winning the church! So let us today consider Jesus, who endured such enormous pressure. Through what a deep crisis He passed! Through what rejection! Through what scourging! Through what humiliations! Through what agonies! On the cross, upon His shoulders, upon His heart, was laid the sin of the whole world. Already in the Garden of Gethsemane His sweat became like great drops of blood that fell to the ground! On the cross He was so exhausted that His strength gave out in only a few hours. That is why Jesus scorned the shame, scorned the humiliation, because He looked to the joy set before Him. That is why we live on this earth, why we fight — because there is a joy set before us, when we will see our Lord face to face. There is a joy set before us, when our bodies will rise from the dead, when we will not remain in the grave, but will enter into God’s glory!
And even on this earth God will never leave us. In days of famine we will be filled, and He will make us prosper in everything we do! Therefore we must not be afraid! If a crisis comes, whatever comes… Nothing can separate us from God’s love, nothing can bring us down, as long as God is for us! Therefore we must be steadfast in the Lord!
THE WORKER FROM PITTSBURGH
In his book “Survive the Change,” Edwin Louis Cole tells the following story, which took place in Pittsburgh during a financial crisis, when unemployment in that city had reached twenty-seven percent.
“This man had worked in a steel factory for twenty-two years, until one day he was suddenly dismissed and left without work. He had always thought that one day he would retire from the factory and live out his old age happily. But now he found himself without a job, without a pension, and his unemployment benefits would soon run out. He knew he had to do something.
At home he was depressed and irritable. This gripped the whole household and family. The children “got on his nerves,” and it always seemed that he was in his wife’s way. The first few weeks were like a vacation, but to sit at home all day doing nothing became tiresome. On top of his bad situation, the future too began to weigh on him.”
He did not know the principles for coming out of a crisis that we are considering today. Nevertheless, he told the following:
“I simply knew that I had to get out of the house and be outside. So I began every day to go out a little after the children went to school, and to come back after they were already home. When there was nowhere for me to look for a new job, I would take long walks and spend outside roughly the same amount of time I normally spent at work.
I had already been out of work for several months when a heavy snowstorm hit the town. After it passed, I went out the next day to walk again. Then I saw a woman, one of the neighbors, sitting at her window and looking at me. I understood that she could not get out of her house because of the snow, and I asked her whether she wanted me to clear it. She was grateful to me.
When I finished, she offered me money, but I refused. The next day a widow asked me to clear her path too. I suppose the word had spread. I cleared in front of her house too. When she offered to pay me, she was so insistent that I accepted.
I took the money and bought my sons snow shovels. So, while they were at school, I went around to see whether anyone needed the paths in front of his house cleared. When my sons came home, we all went together and shoveled the snow. That week I earned more money than when I worked at the factory.
It was great. I felt good. We did this all through the winter.
Then spring came, and I passed by that woman’s house again. As we talked, I noticed that her backyard needed cleaning up. I asked her whether she wanted me to clear it, and she agreed. I cleaned out her basement and took some of the things she wanted to throw away.
The old saying that “one man’s trash is another man’s antique” proved true. I took part of her trash and sold it as an antique.
I began to go from house to house and ask the owners whether they needed their yards and basements cleaned. That is how my business began. Now I have my own business and an antique shop, and I earn more money than I ever did at the factory. This winter I am going to take my wife on a vacation to Florida, leaving a substitute to take care of the business.
If I had not been dismissed from the factory, I would never have gotten to where I am today. When I first lost my job, I could not understand why God allowed it, but now I realize that God was simply working in me. When I fully surrendered to Him, He created a completely new life for me. The best thing that ever happened to me is that I was dismissed. Now I can praise God for it.”
A crisis is something unavoidable and something irreversible. So the best thing we can do when we are in it is to live through it. And we can do that by looking to its ultimate goal. There is no going back. God’s way of dealing with a crisis is not to run from it, but to enter into the new and better place He has prepared for us!
DECISIVE FOR PASSING THROUGH THE CRISIS IS THE CONDITION OF OUR HEART
As we have already said, a crisis is a transition from one stable state to another. And the most important thing in this transition is what we carry in our heart. Because the way we go out will determine the way we come in. We can leave our old life, our old circumstances and surroundings. We can flee from reality, but there is one thing we cannot leave behind, and that is our own spirit and our own character. What is in it will determine not only how and whether we live through the crisis, but also what our new circumstances and surroundings will be.
If we leave the old place with a wounded spirit, with bitterness, grumbling, resentment, hostility, spite, unbelief, narrowness, pride, laziness, sloth… then these will be seeds that you will carry with you and sow in the new place. Then they will bear the same fruit as the fruit you left behind you.
And not only that, but the condition of our heart will set the framework of our future circumstances and surroundings. It will determine the direction of the future events in our life. You see, the roots of our problems are not in our circumstances or in the environment around us. Our problems are rooted in the seeds we have sown in our spirit. If we want to deal with our problems, we must change our heart. Therefore, do not sow seeds from the past into your new fields of relationships!
If we do not deal with these seeds during our crisis, then when we enter our new situation and settle into our new place, we will unconsciously sow our old seeds again. The roots of our problems are not in our circumstances or in our environment, but in the seeds we have sown and are now sowing in our own spirit. So if we want to overcome our problems, we must change and transform our own hearts. In Proverbs 4:23 it says:
23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4:23)
For out of it are the springs of life.
FOLLOW THE LORD’S EXAMPLE — FORGIVE!
One of the ways to guard our heart is by not allowing bitterness and resentment to nest in it. Our Lord is an example for us in every respect. Even when He was unjustly accused and crucified and humiliated on the cross, He still prayed for the forgiveness of His executioners. In Luke 23:33–34 we read:
33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (Luke 23:33–34)
Just think. What would have happened if Jesus had paid the full price for our salvation, but had not forgiven us our sins? Would we have been able to enter heaven without His forgiveness? Here we see an extremely important spiritual principle, and it is that forgiveness opens, while unforgiveness closes. If the roads before you are closed, then you must forgive or ask for forgiveness. Unforgiveness always isolates. It will stop friendships, relationships, and opportunities that would otherwise open new roads in your life. Unforgiveness stops the sources of blessing that flow into your life. If you harbor unforgiveness in your heart, then this unforgiveness will go out of your spirit toward others and will cause them too to close themselves to you.
Whether your past experiences have been good or bad — do not try to sow them into the fresh soil of the new place and the new acquaintances you form after the crisis.
On the basis of everything we have said so far, we could make the following summary: Forgiveness opens relationships. Therefore, do not lock up your life with unforgiveness. Do not stop your springs of blessing by refusing to forgive.
DO NOT FORGET WHO YOUR SOURCE IS!
In the New Testament it is clearly stated that the source of every good thing is God (James 1:16–17).
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:16–17)
From God comes no temptation. From Him comes every good and every perfect gift.
We are often tempted to think that the things in our life depend on people. But if we begin to think in this way, we become easily wounded and filled with unforgiveness. Your friends, the relationships you have, the government, social services, the municipality, the enterprise, the firm you work for, the church, the pastor, even your family — none of these is your source. God is your source! In Hebrews 13:5–6 it says:
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” 6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5–6)
If we do not forget that God is our source, we will not stop honoring Him even when we are in a crisis. A great example for us in this respect is the righteous Job.
13 One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15 and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” 16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” 17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” 18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” 20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” 22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. (Job 1:13–22)
6 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.” 7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” 10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. (Job 2:6–10)
If we do not forget that God is our source, we will not take revenge, nor grow bitter against people. In Romans 12:17–21 we read the exhortation of the Apostle Paul.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17–21)
If we do not forget that God is our source, we will not stop believing that God will bring us out of the crisis. In Habakkuk 3:17–19 it says:
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. (Habakkuk 3:17–19)
If we do not forget that God is our source, we will not stop sowing and giving our tithe even in a time of crisis. Because, just as forgiveness opens relationships, so giving opens Heaven. In Luke 6:38 we read:
38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38)
And also in Malachi 3:7–12:
7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ 8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:7–12)
DO NOT PANIC!
If you have been dismissed, if you cannot find work, if you have been told that you must leave your rented home, you must guard yourself against stress, because stress will throw you into panic, and panic stops productivity. When you are in a moment of emotional instability, panic can take over and cause tension, anxiety, and tightness in your spirit. If you allow yourself to panic, this will inevitably stop your ability to think and to act wisely. Panic leads to “freezing up.” To freeze up means suddenly to seize up and be unable to do something that is entirely natural for you and fully within your ability. For example, if a soccer player freezes up, he cannot score a goal, even into an empty net. (Saul, Elijah, Jonah, Mark 14:51, Peter, the Turks after the earthquakes who jumped from the windows.)
In the spiritual life, tension and panic blind our eyes to receiving God’s Word, they suppress our spirit, disrupt our faith, rob our prayer life, and hinder the receiving of God’s answers.
How can we guard against panic?
- As far as possible, stay as close as you can to your normal way of life.
- Let the Word and the Holy Spirit minister to you. They will bring freshness to your mind and create faith in your heart.
REMEMBER THAT GOD IS SOVEREIGN
Because God is the Creator of all things, He has supreme authority over all creation. Here are a few verses on this matter:
6 You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. (Nehemiah 9:6)
3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. (Psalm 115:3)
35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” (Daniel 4:35)
2 “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. (Job 42:2)
In His sovereignty God can take the things that were planned for evil and turn them around for good. For example, in Genesis 50:20 Joseph — once sold to the Ishmaelites, but now become second only to Pharaoh — says to his brothers:
20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20)
Another New Testament verse is a classic one (Romans 8:28).
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Another example is Genesis 37:25.
25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. (Genesis 37:25)
God knew that Joseph’s brothers would prefer to sell him rather than kill him, so He had arranged events in such a way that the caravan of Ishmaelites would pass by them at exactly that day and hour, so that Joseph’s life would be preserved and he would be taken down to Egypt. Up to that moment Joseph was in the pit, but God did not leave him there!
20 Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, 21 to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar 22 as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor. (Esther 9:20–22)
2 “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? (Job 38:2)
IF THE CRISIS IS UNAVOIDABLE — DO NOT DELAY IT!
If a given crisis is unavoidable, then delaying it will not stop it. It can only deepen it. Essential to the success of any undertaking is the seizing of the right moment. Many people stay in one place longer than they should, and so bring on even more serious problems. Those problems would never have arisen if they had left at the right time.
When the time comes to leave, there will always be people who want you to stay. Their wish will most often be based on personal feelings and sentimentality. But when God is leading you out of one place in order to bring you into another, you cannot afford to be deceived and to base your decision on sentimental feelings instead of on the truth and on God’s will.
We find an interesting example on this matter in Acts 21:7–14. At that time the Apostle Paul knew that he would have to endure persecution and be thrown into prison. Nevertheless, he had set out for Jerusalem. This was a crisis like Christ’s. If he had stayed in Caesarea, Paul of course would have delayed the crisis, but at the same time, first, he would have stepped out of God’s will, and second, he would have delayed not only his entering into the crisis, but also his coming out of it and his release from prison.
7 We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day. 8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. 10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.” (Acts 21:7–14)