Overcoming A Crisis

In 1970, the spacecraft Apollo 13 was sent on a mission bound for the moon. But this “routine” space trip went very wrong. There was a malfunction caused by an explosion which ruptured oxygen tank no. 2 in the service module. The explosion also ruptured a line in the no. 1 oxygen tank, causing it to lose oxygen rapidly. The service module bay no.4 cover was blown off. All oxygen stores were lost within about 3 hours, along with loss of water, electrical power, and use of the propulsion system. Ron Howard made this into a film in 1995 showing the trials and tribulations of the Apollo 13 crew, mission control, and families/ after a near-fatal accident crippled the space vehicle. The astronauts are stranded 205,000 miles from earth, they are in a major crisis. Mission control has to find a way to bring them home. Otherwise there was the possibility that the spacecraft explosion might maroon them in an enormous orbit about the Earth. In the end, Mission control was able to find a way to bring them home safely. It is an amazing story!

In our lives we will face times of crisis. Some crises will be major, others minor. But we need to know how to respond to any kind of crises if we want to learn how to live fully; if we want to learn how to live focused lives for God. It is about being able to process the deeper life pain while seeking to live for the Lord.

So what are some of the types of crises we might face?

1. A threat to life, property or way of life./ When we are threatened or part of our life is threatened, then our response is to fight against it.
2. Conflicts in relationships./ Conflicts in our relationships can be quite painful.
3. A current situation which requires urgent change./ Any kind of change, even if it is for the best, can be difficult to go through. But sometimes the way we are living is not good and must be changed. The sooner the better!
4. Inner turmoil or frustration./ When you are not at peace in life, then you are in turmoil.
5. Past abuses or dysfunctional relationships that have not been dealt with./ It is easy to want to avoid our past pain or abuse, but at some point in life, for us to be healthy for God, we must deal with it.
6. Personal sickness or a sickness in the family./ Health issues are always disruptive to life.
7. Mid-life struggles regarding loss of focus or direction./ We all want to know what life is about, and so when we struggle to understand God’s will or direction for our lives, it can be quite uncomfortable maybe even lonely.

The key to all of these, is to let them move us deeper into God’s heart. It is wrong to try to deal with the crises we face alone. We can see in the Bible that time and time again God uses the crises we face to help to develop us to be the people He wants us to be.
In 2 Corinthians 1 the apostle Paul is despairing for his life. But then he says some amazing, powerful, and important words in verse 9- “Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” Paul understood that in the midst of the crisis, God would do a great work.
As we deal with crisis, don't try to understand the lesson or lessons to be learned in the crisis. It is important to focus on and deal with the crisis. But as you seek to deal with the crisis, don’t think that you have to do this on your own power; trust in God. God will walk with you through the crisis, and God will walk you through the crisis. Praise be to God! (tell me what you think: pastorchrislogan@yahoo.com)