4 Things to Remember in Times of Crisis
No one is immune to crisis. It is triggered by accidents, health issues, relationship conflicts, financial shortfalls, poor judgment and sin . . . and on and on. It sneaks up on us no matter where we are: at home, at work, at leisure and yes, even at church.
Early on in my pastoral ministry, when I was still somewhat naive about the perils that lurk under the pews, in God’s providence, I was the recipient of some crucial crisis management advice. It came in the form of a teaching on that topic given at a pastor’s conference. It was presented by a man named Charles Simpson whom I greatly admired both for his skill as a Bible teacher and also for his wisdom as a seasoned pastor. The conference was hosted at his church for the national network of churches to which our church belonged and of which he was the prime leader.
The approach he took in preparing us for crises was somewhat unusual in that his focus was on things we must believe rather than things we must do. I did not fully grasp it at the time, but my experience has confirmed it in the ensuing years, in times of crisis the issue of right belief is as important as right action. In fact, right belief is often the prerequisite for discovering and taking right action.
Right belief in a Christian context is faith in God. The priority of seeking first to maintain an attitude of faith in the midst of crisis is a basic Bible presupposition. Consider these words of the Apostle John. “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4) The key to victory in crisis is faith.
Reverend Simpson, using illustrations from the Israelites wandering forty years in the wilderness, distilled his principles for crisis management down to four carefully crafted statements. I was so impacted by his message that I wrote the four principles in the back of my Bible. Little did I know that I would need to refer to them frequently and that they would prove to be my sustaining grace in times of crisis over the next three decades of ministry in two pastorates.
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