Rise Again: Facing Crisis with Christ

How do we rise from crisis?

Everyone has surely faced a crisis in life. Whether it is a spiritual crisis, a financial crisis, a health crisis, a crisis of self-confidence, and much more. Christians who fear God and faithfully obey His Word are not exempt from crisis. In fact, they face even more crises because they must fight the temptation of sin.

There are two possibilities when crisis strikes someone. First, they give up, become crushed, and blame others. Second, they rise and become a stronger person.

I believe we would rather be the second kind of person. Yet when we are trapped in problems, we often find it hard to see the whole situation from a higher point of view.

One afternoon after the service, I was talking with a man. He complained that his workplace was going to close because it kept losing money. “I’ll just stay at my parents’ house, as long as I can eat and drink. It’s fine if I don’t attend Sunday service, because my parents don’t like me going to church,” he said about his life plan.

I asked why he did not start his own business, or work as an ojek online, or ask fellow church members who had businesses to help him find a job. This man refused because he had been a manager for fifteen years. He was not ready and was ashamed to become a subordinate again, taking orders from others. He refused to ‘step down from the throne’ for a while so he could provide for himself. Indirectly, he blamed God for letting him experience an economic crisis and a crisis of self-confidence, so he refused to make an effort.

Friend, let us not as Christians have a mentality weaker than people in the world. We often read news about worldly people, who by definition do not believe in Jesus, justifying every means to rise from crisis. They are willing to struggle, work hard, fall and rise again, and are not ashamed to build a business from nothing.

Learning to Rise from Bible Figures

If we choose to remain crushed, feel sorry for ourselves, and blame God or circumstances, it means we do not truly know God. For those who know God will endure and try to rise from adversity. Crisis should make believers stronger, more dependent on God, and more full of faith.

Then Jesus said to His disciples: "Whoever wants to follow Me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet lose his life? Or what can anyone give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each person according to what he has done." (Matthew 16:24-27)

The Lord never promised an easier life when we become His followers. Denying ourselves and taking up the cross are part of the willingness to follow Christ. The cross is a symbol of suffering, hardship, and everything unpleasant to the flesh, including: crisis.

Job, Gideon, and Paul were people who experienced crisis and succeeded in becoming victors. They too were ordinary human beings, just like us.

Let us learn from their extraordinary faith and struggle in rising from crisis.

1. Job: Kept praising the Lord when every good thing he had was taken by the devil (Job 1-2)

What Job experienced is an extreme example of life crisis. In a single day, Job lost everything. All ten of his children died when the house collapsed on them because of a mighty wind. Some of his livestock were consumed by fire from heaven, while others were stolen, and his servants were killed. Not only that, Job was afflicted with painful sores all over his body. Because God knew that Job was blameless and feared Him, He accepted the devil’s challenge to take away his wealth, his health, and all his children.

How miserable Job’s situation was. He could no longer talk with or meet his children. He was uncomfortable doing various activities because of his disease. He used to be someone people approached, considering Job was rich and respected, but now he became someone who was shunned. Amazingly, Job still bowed in worship and praised the Lord, did not sin, and did not accuse God of doing anything improper.

We do not need to imagine or go through things as extreme as Job’s to understand crisis. Things like losing a job, suffering a robbery, failing an exam, a breakup, or being left forever by a loved one can weaken our faith.

The key is how we go through all of it with full surrender and trust in God’s presence. Without trust, it is easy for us to become angry and be tempted to take shortcuts or destructive paths instead. In the end, our problems only multiply and we grow farther away from God.

Job’s secret that enabled him to get through life’s crisis was that he was blameless, upright, feared God, and turned away from evil.

2. Gideon: Kept pursuing the enemy even without logistical support (Judges 8:4-12)

Logistics are one of the important requirements for winning a war or a long competition, starting a business, or building a house. Logistics can be money, food, manpower, or equipment that enables us to keep striving in good and favorable conditions.

Gideon and his three hundred followers had killed thousands of Midianite soldiers in battle. Yet Gideon’s task was not finished because the two kings of Midian and the rest of their troops fled. Even though their food and drink supplies had run out, Gideon was determined to keep pursuing them. As the leader of the troops, he asked the leaders of Succoth and Penuel in Israel for logistical help. His request was refused, because they were unwilling to give bread to men who had not yet achieved results. “Capture those kings first, then we’ll give you bread,” that was more or less what they said directly.

But Gideon did not know how to give up. In a state of weariness and hunger, he and his troops kept fighting and finally succeeded in destroying all the enemies.

If right now you are reluctant to rise again, whether to start a business, apply for work, or begin something new, because you think you have no logistics or have nothing left, you are mistaken. You still have capital: your body, your experience, and the understanding God has given you. Use them to find a solution.

The secret of Gideon and his men in making it through a logistics crisis was not giving up and continuing to strive toward the goal. God values and grants success to those who persevere in effort.

3. Paul: Remained faithful in serving Christ even while experiencing various crises (2 Cor 11:23-33)

How human it is that when we do what is right according to God’s Word, we hope we will also be rewarded with something good. In reality, that does not always happen.

The apostle Paul served the Lord and the church very diligently in various cities and countries. In Antioch, for the first time, Jesus’ disciples were called Christians, thanks to the struggle of Paul and his co-worker Barnabas for a year. But do not imagine that Paul always experienced pleasant things in ministry. Again and again he was tortured, even nearly to death. Paul knew what it was like to be hungry, in pain, thirsty, naked, without money, cold, and sleep-deprived.

After experiencing all that, Paul could have given up and chosen to stop being an apostle. Better to return home and live comfortably. Yet Paul remained focused on the Lord, and always asked the Lord to strengthen him and be with him in bearing the many hardships of life. Paul did not even demand the right to enjoy worldly comforts in return for his service in founding many congregations. He kept working with his own hands to meet his daily needs.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says: “The temptations you experience are ordinary temptations, no more than people can bear. But God is faithful, and because of that He will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength. When you are tempted, He will also provide a way out, so that you can endure it.”

Let us imitate Paul so that we are not weak or pampered. Make crisis a means of strengthening yourself. Believe this: the Lord will never give a trial beyond our strength to endure it.

Rise from crisis: focus on the Lord and the solution

In times past, in this now, or in the times to come, crisis will always exist in many forms. There is no need to be afraid. Do not focus on the hardship or the suffering, but center yourself on the Lord and on the solution.

Crisis can bring many benefits physically and spiritually. Crisis can change bad habits into positive habits. See crisis as God’s way of helping us step out of our comfort zone and become resilient people.

In closing, here are three things to become a person who can withstand crisis:

1. Blameless, upright, and turning away from evil like Job.
2. Never give up and keep striving like Gideon.
3. Focused on the Lord, always asking the Lord to strengthen and accompany you like Paul.

May the Lord bless your struggle to rise from crisis!

This article was edited from the second-place winner (Richard Tri Gunadi Raharjo) in “GKDI Writers Day 2018“.

* Church GKDI is currently present in 35 cities. We have Bible Study activities in every area. If you need information or would like to get involved, contact us at contact Church GKDI Official:WhatsApp 0821 2285 8686 or Facebook / Instagram GKDI Official

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