Responding to Crisis

“…He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,

 and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Matthew 5:45b

 

God blesses the righteous and the unrighteous.

 He sends rain to water the crops of those who do good and those who do not.

Where we often fail is to think that crisis and bad things only happen to the wicked.

Do you suppose that hurricane Sandy came ashore in New York and New Jersey to only destroy the homes of the wicked? Do you honestly believe that only the ‘wicked’ were those affected by flooding and all that accompanied that disaster?

What about Katrina?

What about the war in Afghanistan?

Are those suffering in Iranian prisons all unbelievers?

We know better.

Crisis will happen in the lives of the godly and the ungodly.

The real difference is how they choose to respond to it.

When we face crisis, how we react will impact our walk with God and the walk of others.

It has the potential to bring others into relationship with Christ or drive them further away.

Think about that for a moment.

You have told others you are a believer.

You face an illness, an extended unemployment or even a catastrophic fire or loss of all your material possessions.

These are valley moments.

These are crisis moments.

We are not the first to face them, nor will we be the last.

They are not easy seasons in our lives to be sure.

The single most significant difference between your reaction and someone else’s comes when you affirm that Jesus will never leave you and will never forsake you.  

You almost don’t need that assurance on the mountaintop as you sense His presence.  

 You need that affirmation continually in the valley where it seems lonely and as if you are all alone.

As you respond to the crisis with that understanding, know that it will encourage not only you but also those whose eyes are on you!