Jacob is alone, beside the River Jabbok during the night. Without warning, he is thrown to the ground by a man. Needless to say, “the fight was on”. Jacob and the man fought hard, wrestling violently until Jacob’s hip was ripped out of joint by the force of the man’s blow. Then the man said to Jacob, ”Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Then the man asked his name, and when Jacob answered, the man said, you shall no longer be called Jacob, but you have …
Worship Him
Six steps to finding God when you’re living with a crisis Step 5 Worship Him How important is worship to God? Let’s think about another question for a moment. The Israelites were enslaved in Egypt and they had reached a crisis point. They cried out, God heard their cries and responded to them. Why did he rescue them? For what purpose? To free them from slavery, obviously! Isn’t that a significant enough purpose? The phrase “Let my people go!” has been used in song and as a rallying cry ever since the days of Moses, but when was the …
Praise Him
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4 It isn’t a surprise to God. That thing that blind-sided you out of left field, that sudden loss, personal betrayal or financial disaster is not a surprise to God. Your ongoing, seemingly never-to-improve condition, situation or trying relationship is not a surprise to God. Not one crisis or trial that enters our life is a surprise to him. From our earthly perspective we can’t see over the wall that is our difficulty, but he is looking down and sees …
Trust Him
Six Steps to finding God When You’re Living With a Crisis Step 3 Trust Him After three miscarriages, I had to face the fact that I might never become a mother. The first loss was the most shocking and heart-rending, but each successive loss was scarier than the last and at age 33, my biological clock was definitely ticking. Between the first and second miscarriages, I had also moved and found a new church. After the first loss, God provided a “safety net” of friends, co-workers and family who surrounded me with love and prayer. After the second loss …
Seek the Lord Through Confession
Six Steps to finding God when you’re living in a crisis Step 2 Seek the Lord When you are in a season of crisis and want to find God, it’s important to proactively seek him. Once you have calmed your mind, (Step 1 of this series) seeking him becomes easier. When we are seeking God and want to feel his presence, we are searching for a sense that there is reciprocal communication. We want to know our prayers are heard and we want to sense God’s response back to us in our lives. Sin blocks communication with our holy …
Calming Your Mind
Six Steps to finding God when you’re living in a crisis Step 1 Calming Your Mind What do you do when your situation is so intense, so completely mentally absorbing, that your mind is constantly racing and you know you need God’s help, but you can’t feel him anymore? It seems like he’s just not around. You know you need to pray. You know you could use some time in his word. But there isn’t time right now. Your home is in a state of upset. Your husband drinks too much, raging at you and scaring your children. A close …
Understand Whose Crisis It Is
A 6-Day Look at a Desperate Dilemma From 2 Chronicles 20 Overview Passage: 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 Today’s study: 2 Chronicles 20:14-23 “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s….You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you….Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow and the Lord will be with …
Realize Your Helplessness and Depend on Your Lord
A 6-Day Look at a Desperate Dilemma From 2 Chronicles 20 Overview passage: 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 Today’s study: 2 Chronicles 19:4, 20:1-3, 12 “(King) Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers.” “After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to make war on Jehoshaphat. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, ‘A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon …