Crisis
October 5th, 2008This being a political season, the airwaves are congested with frenzied rhetoric declaring that the end has come. Both presidential candidates argue that America is headed for certain doom. Each says that the only thing that will save us is his election.
Our current economic situation is a perfect example. Politicians favoring the “bail-out bill,” as it is called, predict a dire future if it is not passed, invoking scenes from the thirties of bread lines and soup kitchens. This is not to say that the situation is not serious—it is—but you can’t blame me for being a little skeptical about the sincerity of these speeches. We’ve heard all this before, and yet the hype never seems to move us forward, no matter what the current crisis may be.
John F. Kennedy once pointed out that, when written in Chinese, the word crisis is composed of two characters—one represents danger and the other represents opportunity. This eastern concept is the only helpful way to address life’s challenges. With every trial there is an accompanying opportunity for learning, growth, and betterment. But you can’t grow through your trials by accident. You have to actively seek out purpose in your pain.
God gets blamed for a lot of the problems we create. We like to speak of devastation and trouble as “God’s will.” The truth is, God’s will can be involved in suffering without being the direct cause of it. T. Pierce Brown said, “Not everything that happens is God’s will, but in everything that happens God has a will.”
I believe Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 10:13 is more inclusive than we often make it: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” We limit these words to temptations to sin, when Paul is actually speaking of enduring tests of every kind. When we recognize that we are being tested, we can take heart in knowing that there is a way to endure it without being destroyed. The Christian’s duty in crisis is to ask, “How does God want me to respond to this?” and then to take the righteous course.
Faith in the midst of crisis creates optimism—even joy—in the sufferer. In a moment of clarity, Job said, “When he has tried me, I shall come out as gold” (Job 23:10). Likewise, James opened his epistle with these words: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (Jas. 1:2-3).
Crisis—no matter what form it may take—is an opportunity for the Christian. The difference between people of faith and unbelievers is not the amount of suffering they encounter; it is the way they respond to it. God’s people do not lose their heads when they are tested. They emerge like gold.