With our 15-year anniversary of 9/11 passing, I’m once again reminded of the challenge we face in our hearts when crisis hits us, both nationally and personally. It seems everywhere you look today something difficult is happening in our world and to those around us. I’m not sure there is anyone who has not been touched by crisis. So how do we stand steady? This is an imperative question to ask—it will aid us to walk these very difficult things out well. The question causes us to pause and inquire of the Lord. I think of James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” We need wisdom in the hour that we live in; there are many voices out there, and it is often hard to distinguish among them. Which are the wise ones? Which are the harmful ones? Which ones really help us in our walk with Jesus? We all want hearts that are free from fear, unhindered by the things that have hurt us, and full of faith that God is in control. I find it is easier to type than to walk out! How about you?
I have found that when crisis hits, it’s suddenly. I wasn’t expecting it. One day life was going along well, the next it looked totally different. This has taught me to prepare my heart when it is going well, because it’s out of the overflow of my heart that I respond when crisis hits me. Sometimes I’ve done that well, but other times I didn’t like what came out of my heart. I could and did pursue changing it, but that’s much more difficult in the middle of the trouble.
We have to know and understand what Jesus says about these moments, because the enemy and many others will have plenty to say. Choosing to answer our heart and mind’s cry with the truth will be life giving. If we don’t know the truth, then the cacophony of other voices will win out every time. I encourage us to be people of the Word. I’m not saying we will know the wherefores, whys, and how-comes of each situation, but understanding that tragedy happens and how are our hearts are to respond is what we’re to look for. Our hearts standing steady in the midst is our real desire. How do we keep our heart from responding with offense? That’s what we are talking about today. Knowing the Word of God is extremely helpful.
Another way to stay steady is being a part of a people who are longing for the same thing. Now, drawing near to people when we are hurt is often the opposite of what our heart cries for. We tend to want to curl up in a ball and hide from everyone. Right? Thus joining and/or staying in good community and giving ourselves to others when life is going well shifts how we respond when the ‘suddenly’ shows up. And, Beloved, it will show up. Hiding doesn’t become our knee-jerk response; instead, we’ve established a pattern of people walking life out with us. Banding together in the midst of struggle is one of the key ways we stand steady; when we are weak, others hold us up and vice versa.
When the storms are raging is not the optimal time to decide how we’re to be thinking and behaving. Our emotions are usually on overload at these junctures, and untangling them is work enough! So adding in trying to decipher what God is saying in those moments is often too much. Many on social media often try to, which causes us to think we should too, but wisdom says to stay silent and withstand the storm. Then when we’ve waited for the storm to pass, we will see there is a different perspective we missed in the center of the storm.
Again, staying part of a community in these times is critical, so we don’t find ourselves floating on a raft in the ocean alone and afraid. Having others help me, guide me, and reassure me has been so beneficial in keeping me from becoming offended.
The Bible teaches us offense is one of the ways people walk away from God. From Matthew 24:12 we learn that “Because of the increase of lawlessness [wickedness] the love of many will grow cold.” Growing cold is another way of saying becoming offended, as offense will cut us off from feeling the Lord’s pleasure over us. Thus we often wrongly conclude He must be angry or not happy with us, so we give up and quit. This most often starts small in our lives with personal struggles and grows as we see the increase of corporate crises in our land.
We must choose to trust in the goodness of Jesus and His leadership over us. The coming and going of seasons in our lives, and knowing He is Lord through the good and the bad, will settle our hearts when trouble hits.
I encourage you to join me in learning and choosing to understand Jesus’ ways, not what the world or social media says of His ways. I want to have a heart that is alive with love and full of faith that Jesus is in control through the challenges in my life! Join me in that, and stand steady!
