Crisis Into Opportunity

How to Turn Your Crisis into an Opportunity

Trust that God is working everything in your life for your good. "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28).

Believe that our heavenly Father is in control of everything.

"The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all" (Ps. 103:19).

Accept that the Lord's ways are higher than ours.

"'My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' declares the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts'" (Isa. 55:8-9).

Refuse to make quick judgments in the midst of a crisis.

"Thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength'" (Isa. 30:15)

Focus on the Father instead of the crisis.

Recall past crises and the opportunities that followed.

"They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. He also brought me forth into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me" (2 Sam. 22:19-20).

Let go of your anger immediately.

"Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity" (Eph. 4:26-27).

Submit yourself to God's will.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" (Pr. 3:5-6).

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Ps. 73:26).

Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.

"Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him" (Ps. 37:5-7)."

He wants to get our attention.

Many Christians limit their relationship with the Lord. To them, He’s a distant God in heaven whose job is simply to listen to their petitions and send down the answers. They become energized in their prayer lives if there’s an urgent need, but when everything’s running smoothly, they don’t have time for Him. That isn’t the kind of relationship the Lord desires to have with us. Instead  of our coming with a list of requests, He wants us to enjoy just being with Him. That’s why He will sometimes withhold an answer to our prayers. He’s trying to get our attention and draw us into a more intimate relationship. 

The Lord is teaching us to trust Him.

Can you trust God when He doesn’t respond? Or does your faith waver if you don’t receive an immediate answer to your prayer? His silence does not mean He’s inactive or ignoring you. He’s already working on the situation. Whatever He’s doing is good, even if you can’t perceive the outcome or sense His presence. We are called to live by faith, not by feelings or sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). The important issue is not what you see or feel, but what God has promised: “The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting” (Psalm 138:8). 

God is using silence to mature us.

Immaturity is characterized by an unwillingness to wait. Any mother of a newborn can testify to this: when the baby’s hungry, there’s no peace until he’s fed. Sadly, that’s how some Christians behave—and the more urgent the need, the more demanding they become. But when we place our demands on the Lord, we’re forgetting that He is God and we are not. The ability to wait patiently is an invaluable trait that our Father desires to develop in all of us.

He wants us to persevere in prayer.

Jesus emphasized the importance  of persistence in prayer (Luke 11:5-13). Sometimes when we pray, it feels as if there’s a wall between God and us even though we’re walking faithfully with Him. I have discovered that the way to surmount this barrier is to keep on praying. On those occasions when I didn’t give up, I heard from God or He worked out the situation in a way that assured me of His answer.