How to Turn to God in Times of Crisis
Shadows flutter on the wall as the candle flickers golden in front of us. We’ve gathered to pray, these three blue-eyed children and their patience-stretched mother. I want to teach them how to turn to God in a crisis, and so I open the leather-covered Book as the oldest pokes at the white wax dripping from the candle.
I read the words that have been floating through my mind for the past few weeks now:
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
Somehow, by the yellow glow of candlelight, these words feel freshly heaven-breathed for such a time as this.
How to Turn to God in Times of Crisis
I tell the little ones that these were originally words from God, spoken to the people of Israel, as he called them to live sold out for him. King Solomon had just prayed to dedicate the temple and the palace, and fire came down from heaven to burn up the sacrifices. In the aftermath of this glory, God speaks these words to Solomon in the night.
They were words for his people then, and they are words for his people now.
What is our Biblical response to God in times of national crisis? This passage offers four life-altering, direction-changing admonitions for us today:
1. We Begin by Humbling Ourselves
I can’t stop thinking about it.
I can’t stop thinking about a conversation I had in the church lobby with a friend this winter.
We were talking about how to know you’re going to heaven, and she made a point that will forever be a clear part of how I share the good news about Jesus with others. My friend pointed out that even the demons believe Jesus is the Son of God and that he died on the cross to pay the punishment for our sins.
There is a necessary heart-posture that must come with believing in Jesus if we want the security of a relationship with God: We must humble ourselves. #encounteringGod #heaven Share on XGod wants more than a profession of belief. He is calling us to humbly acknowledge that we need Jesus.
There is a common mindset that if we’re just good enough people – if we just do the right things, go to church every now and then, and try to be kind to others – we will earn a relationship with God and a ticket to heaven.
This is among the greatest lies of our generation.
None of us will ever be “good” enough to earn our way to God or get into heaven by our good deeds.
God is perfect, and he is perfectly holy. We can’t measure up. We have all fallen short (see Romans 3:23).
We need someone to pay the price – to receive the punishment we deserve – for our sins. This is why we need Jesus. He paid the price and suffered the punishment we deserve when he died on the cross. God punished Jesus so that he doesn’t have to punish us.
We need Jesus’ sacrifice to reconcile us to God. And after that reconciliation, we need an ongoing relationship with Jesus to help us live lives of love. We can’t do it on our own.
We turn to God in crisis as we humble ourselves and profess our great need for Jesus.
2. We Turn to God in Crisis as We Pray
When was the last time you prayed?
More than a hail-Mary prayer for God’s help finding a parking spot or a one-liner for him to have mercy on us in this time of crisis?
Let’s stand together in really praying – really crying out to God for his help and healing. Let’s pray his Word back to him. Let’s get on our knees and pour out our hearts.
Prayer isn’t about making a wish-list known to a God who looks like Santa Claus on his throne in heaven. Prayer is carving out time to soak in God’s presence, encounter his heartbeat in silence, unite in community, and deepen in relationship with him.
God wants you to talk to him.
He also wants to whisper truths to your heart.
Carve out ten minutes, or thirty minutes, or as long as it takes to quiet your racing mind and listen for God’s heartbeat. Use your prayer time to tell him everything that’s on your mind, as if you’re talking to your best friend. But also use your prayer time to sit in his love and let him show you unsearchable things you do not know. You might be surprised by how he shows up when you make it a priority to draw near to him.
3. We Seek God’s Face
When Scripture speaks of God’s face, it is eluding to his presence.
In this time of crisis, God is calling us to pursue his presence.
What does this really mean, and what does it look like on a practical level?
Pursuing God’s presence includes watching for what he is doing around us in all of our normal everyday moments – never tuning out, just because a particular activity doesn’t feel very spiritual. God wants to show up and guide you in all the moments of your day: the folding-laundry-moments, interacting-with-coworker-moments, checking-email-moments, and every moment in between.
We seek his face when we slip away to quiet places to pray.
We seek his face when we turn on a worship playlist and lose sight of everything in the room except the thought of him there with us.
We seek his face when we imagine him on his throne in heaven – when we read the accounts of John’s visions of his throne in the book of Revelation.
We seek his face when we step away from distractions and pursue spiritual disciplines, alone and with our families. When we make him the true center of our lives and pursue him with all our hearts. This is the kind of response God is looking for in times like these.
4. We Turn From Our Wicked Ways
Finally, God is calling for repentance. Repentance is a turning around. God is calling us to turn around – to stop chasing the false gods of wealth, comfort, escape, perfection, status, and all the subtle attitudes that pull us away from him.
God is calling our nation to repent of our sinful ways and return to him. National repentance begins within individual hearts.
Will you pause to seek the Lord and ask him where he is calling you to repent in your life today? Will you follow through with what he asks of you? Will you do what he asks you to do – share where he asks you to share – and set an example, even when it is difficult?
Every great movement begins with one person putting one foot in front of the other – one small shift in the right direction. That movement just might begin with you today.
A Free Devotional for Times of Crisis:
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Calling All Moms and Daughters!
Additionally, my 12-year-old daughter, Bekah, and I wrote a mother-daughter devotional book to help mothers and daughters grow closer together while connecting with God. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a shared journaling section. Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by this book! You can find this book in eBook form for free on the Kindle Unlimited Plan or buy a print copy for 11.99 right here.
