How to Turn to God in Times of Crisis
Shadows flutter on the wall as the candle flickers golden in front of us. I’ve gathered our three children to pray because I want to teach them how to turn to God in a crisis. As our time in prayer begins, I open the Bible.
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).
By the yellow glow of candlelight, the words feel 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 for him. King Solomon had just prayed to dedicate the temple, and fire came down from heaven to burn up the sacrifices. In the aftermath of this glory, God spoke these words to Solomon in the night.
They were words for his people then, and they are words for his people now.
This passage offers four life-altering, direction-changing admonitions for us today. Let’s take a closer look at how to turn to God in times of crisis.
1. We humble ourselves.
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. 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 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 by crying out to him in prayer.
When was the last time you poured your heart out to God in honest prayer?
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.
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 and not just his hand.
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 look like on a practical level?
Pursuing God’s presence includes watching for what he is doing around us in all of our everyday moments. 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.
When we make him the true center of our lives and pursue him with all our hearts.
4. We change directions and turn toward God.
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.
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?
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:
If you are ready to defeat fear and walk in peace, my gift to you today is my free online devotional, Victory Rising: A 2-Week Journey to Defeat Fear, Worry, and Doubt. This devotional includes 14 daily readings to help you turn the enemy’s weapon of fear against him as you slay this giant with his own sword. It is yours here. 
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God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
Calling all moms and daughters!
Additionally, my teen daughter, Bekah, and I are passionate about helping moms and daughters grow closer while connecting with God. We have written two mother-daughter devotionals together. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section after each devotion.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, purity, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. We will help you!
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