The Christian in Crisis

Introduction

It is amazing to see the fear and panic that has overwhelmed much of our society today because of the threat of Coronavirus.

Many are stockpiling essential goods, others have retreated into isolation, while still others are trying their best to go about their daily lives all the while gripped by fear that they may be the next to be infected.

It is understandable for a lost world who knows not God to respond this way but how should you and I respond as believers?

The pages of scripture present to us a number of examples of believers who found themselves in the midst of a terrible crisis and we can learn from their response.

This morning we are going to examine a particular crisis in the land of Judah under King Hezekiah. The king of Assyria has come with the intent of capturing Jerusalem and bringing the people into bondage and they have come with an overwhelming force and it seems that there is not hope of victory for Hezekiah and his people.

This was certainly a serious crisis in Hezekiah’s life. How did he respond?

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Choose Faith over Fear ()

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Hezekiah’s initial response was fear as would be the natural response for anyone facing such circumstances. Yet the prophet Isaiah sends a message to Hezekiah from the Lord which begins with a simple statement “Be not afraid...”

Our natural response to the reports of a pandemic virus that is spreading across our country and has already killed thousands of people is to fear.

Yet I am confident this morning that the message from the Lord is still the same “Be not afraid...” We see the Lord time and time again encouraging those who are in a state of crisis not to fear.

- the disciples in the storm/- Jesus walking on the sea to the disciples/- the mount of transfiguration/ - disciples after resurrection/- a ruler of the synagogue whose daughter is now dead

Instead of living in fear we must choose to walk in faith! - not given us spirit of fear

You and I must make a conscious choice to trust God in the midst of any crisis that we face.

When we are controlled by fear we make irrational decisions (like stocking up on a year’s worth of toilet paper). When we respond in faith we can remain calm and collected in the midst of the crisis.

We must not fail to remember that God is ultimately in control. This crisis may have taken us by surprise but it has not taken God by surprise.

This is why Hezekiah was willing to trust God, he knew that God was sovereign and nothing was beyond the scope of His power and influence.

This is what lead Hezekiah to:

Choose Prayer over Panic

The best thing that we can do in any crisis situation is to pray! Through Jesus Christ we have been granted access to the very throne of almighty God, who better could we turn to in times of crisis?

This is the response that God surely desires from His children. This was Hezekiah’s response. He began by asking Isaiah to pray () but ultimately he would go to the house of the Lord himself to pray.

We find Hezekiah’s personal plea to the Lord recorded in .

We can see in Hezekiah’s prayer that he recognized God’s sovereignty over human events. We must not forget that amidst the chaos and uncertainty, God is still in complete control of all things.

There are many practical steps that we can take to prevent the spread of the virus but ultimately we must recognize that God is in control and the virus will only progress so far as God allows it to. There may be nothing that you and I can do to guarantee that we do not become infected, but we can pray to the one who has all power and is able to put a complete stop to the virus at any moment. When there is nothing more you and I can do we can still pray.

We can also be sure that God hears our prayers and understands the situation that we are in.

The wonderful news for Hezekiah is that God answered his prayer and Sennacherib was killed by his own servants before he could ever carry out his attack against Hezekiah and his people.

The wonderful news for you and I is that God still hears and answers prayers!

We should certainly pray for those in America and around the world whose lives have been or will be impacted by the virus.

We should pray that God would protect those who are at risk in our church family and in our community.

We should pray that God would bring peace and comfort to those who are fearful and distressed.

Above all we should pray that God would ultimately be glorified even in the midst of this crisis.

We should be praying that God would help us to shine as lights in the world in the midst of these dark and difficult days.

Choose to view this crisis as an Opportunity not an Obstacle to the furtherance of the gospel

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There is a saying among politician “Never let a good crisis go to waste”. Politicians and businesses will capitalize on the fear and uncertainty brought about by the coronavirus. You and I ought to capitalize on this crisis as well but not to gain wealth or influence. Instead we ought to seize this moment to share Christ and the hope that can be found in HIM!

During times such as these many people are going to be looking for answers, for hope, for peace and comfort. You and I have exactly the answer that so many in the world are looking for.

During times such as these many people are going to be thinking about their own mortality and it is likely they will be more receptive to a conversation about eternity.

Imagine if every Christian would pray and the watching world would see God’s power manifest. This was the closing remark at the end of Hezekiah’s prayer, it was that God would be glorified and that the surrounding nations would be able to see God’s hand at work.

We should commit to praying that God would work miraculously so that the world around us may know that He alone is God.

We should make a commitment to remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading as we seize every opportunity to tell others about the savior who is the answer to the longings of their heart.

May we not miss this moment to testify of the goodness of God and of our trust in Him in the midst of this crisis.

Could it be that this crisis could be the beginning of a turning back to God in our nation? Could it be that this crisis would drive many to their knees and we could see a resurgence of prayer in our churches? Could it be that God’s desire is to teach us to trust Him more?

Conclusion

Only time will tell what the lasting impact of this crisis will be upon our world and particularly upon our nation.

Let’s do all that we can by rejecting fear and panic in favor of faith and prayer so that we emerge from this crisis with a faith that has been strengthened and a prayer life that has been revived.

Hezekiah’s life- Hezekiah had faith and knew the power of prayer as he cried out to God to spare his life.