When You’re in a Crisis and Don’t Know What to Do – Part 1

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8

When I was a kid, my parents fed me baby food like all babies, and they told me that I just loved mashed carrots! I personally think mashed carrots might be a mild form of child abuse today, but as a baby, I ate them and loved them because I didn’t know what else was out there.

Then in elementary school, I discovered Fun Dip. You remember Fun Dip. It’s literally a bag of sugar that you eat with a sugar stick. Basically, crack for kids. You eat that, and you’re bouncing off the walls for days. I loved it!  My taste continued to evolve and as a teenager I was introduced to Taco Bell. Chalupas kept me alive in college. Later on in life, I came across some YouTube videos about how they actually make chalupas and now I wonder how in the world am I still alive after eating that stuff for so long!

Finally, as an adult, I moved on to the bone-in Wagyu ribeye steak, dry-aged for about 28 days, cooked medium rare. No matter what you go through that day, when you sit down at the table with one of those, it’ll change your life. I can now say for certain that I will never go back to eating mashed carrots. And the reason why is because I’ve tasted something better.

Some of as grown adults are still returning to the “baby food” of life. God wants to let you in on a little secret: You are made for more.

You’re made for more than just living the American dream. We want to look good, feel good, and have good things. It’s great to have a good job and family and to make a good living. But at some point, you must realize that there is more to life than just experiencing good stuff. God wants you to experience a close relationship with Him. To sit down and taste and see that the Lord is good. Like enjoying a perfect ribeye steak and knowing that He is good.

Sometimes in life, we experience some pretty nasty things, and we immediately question the goodness of God. Maybe you’re dealing with a crisis right now; the betrayal of a friend, a bad breakup, or even a divorce. Maybe your child told you they don’t believe in God anymore and have walked away from faith. Or you may have received a bad report from the doctor.

Going through a trial can rock your foundation and shake you to your core. You may begin to doubt that God is real or that He really cares about you. How can a loving God allow bad things to happen to good people? My father always told me, “In life, you will always be in one of three situations: going through a valley, coming out of a valley, or about to go into a valley.” That’s just how the seasons of life go. Maybe you’re in the valley right now, feeling the pressure and weight of that situation. Or you’re on the tail end, finally experiencing a breakthrough or some victory. Or maybe things are going great, but soon enough, that valley will come to fruition once again.

So, what do you do when a crisis hits your life?

In Acts 16, we see a great story of what God can do through tragedy and acts of God. In chapter 16, Paul and Silas are in a city called Philippi preaching the gospel. They come upon a slave girl who is demon-possessed and can predict the future. Some people were taking advantage of the situation by using the girl’s ability to make money. But Paul removes the evil spirit from the girl and heals her, which makes everyone upset because they can no longer make money off her. So, they throw Paul and Silas in jail.

25 About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately, all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. (Acts 16:25-27)

The first thing we see in this passage is that when you are experiencing a crisis, worship the Lord.

During a crisis, worship can become more intense, and real. Paul and Silas are in a significant crisis, they’ve been arrested and thrown into prison. How do they respond? They worship! They pray and sing and show the other prisoners that even though the situation is terrible, God is still worthy of praise. They worship their way through the crisis and influence others through their testimony.

Every follower of Jesus has a testimony of a believer that has impacted them. Someone in your life pointed you to Jesus. It was a mom or a dad who shared the gospel with you. It was a friend who invested in you. It was a pastor who preached to you. God used someone’s testimony to bring you to faith. Often it’s during times of crisis that a believer’s testimony will have an even more significant influence.

Today, if you’re going through a crisis or a challenging season don’t waste the moment. How you handle the situation will not only impact your relationship with God, but also someone else’s relationship with Him. Worship Jesus through the crisis. Sing out to Him, pray, and seek His wisdom and truth. Remember that others are watching you. If your eyes are fixed on Jesus, you have an opportunity to help others look to Him as well. Taste and see that even in difficult times, the Lord is good. Who knows, someone might see your testimony and turn to God for the first time.