Thursday, September 1, 2016

Staying Calm in a Crisis

Submitted by Donnie O’Fallon
The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock. Isaiah 26:3-4

Does being a Christian mean no more crisis in our lives? Crisis moments often cause us to Panic! We lose control, we’re thrown off balance, and suddenly our ability to think logically seems to leave us momentarily. There have been a number of crises around the world recently. In the past two weeks in Louisiana, torrential rains came in a short time creating what is being called a 500-year flood, leaving thousands of people homeless and losing all their worldly possessions.  My cousin, who lives there, called to say their home had 5 feet of water in it and their two cars were completely submerged. The was an earthquake in Italy where the death toll is near two hundred as of today and others are still missing. This week families in our own congregation received word of the death of a grandchild, and parents were called in the middle of the night and notified their son was in transit via care flight to a hospital to receive a potentially life-saving surgery. Tornadoes in the Midwest trapped people in a collapsed Starbucks Building in the Midwest. Crises can blow into your life like a sudden storm.
We live in a fallen world and in a time where bad things happen to good people. When these things happen, many times we’re prone to ask God, Why? We may not get an answer because it falls into the realm of mystery! I Know this…that God’s still in control and through these crises He desires to Direct Us, to Correct us, or Redirect us!
In ACTS 27, we read where Paul is about to depart on a ship to Rome. Earlier in Acts he had sent word to the Church in Rome that he wanted to come to them “in the will of God”.  In chapter 27 we read what happened to Paul on that journey to Rome. They were told not to go at that time of the year but they set sail anyway. The got into a storm. The ship was about to be lost, and Paul said to them, (23)This very night an angle of God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, (24) saying, Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold God has granted you and all who sail with you. (25) Therefore, keep your courage men, that I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. God’s still in control, even in the crisis, and because of that we can remain “calm in the crisis.”
The crises of life do not necessarily make us or break us but they reveal us. They reveal our character and our faith toward God before the storm comes and His ability to keep us even in the midst of the storm and crisis. Verse 29 says, they dropped the anchors to keep from losing the ship in the storm. There are times when that’s all we can do. We anchor to the words of our Lord, I will never leave nor forsake you. God’s presence comes to us in person of His Holy Spirit. When we’re in His will, we must ask God to teach us in those crisis moments.  God does walk with us and teach us through the crisis times. Knowing and understanding that is how you can stay Calm in a Crisis.


Scripture to Claim:

This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God and I trust Him.  Psalm 91:2 NLT

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