A crisis is a situation that knocks me out of the familiar course of my affairs, does not fit within the bounds of my perception, becomes a turning point in my life, shatters my customary worldview, and compels me to seek new ways of solving problems. The consequences of a crisis can be unpredictable.
All of us have gone through such times at some point and have learned lessons from them. A crisis itself is neutral, but my perception of it and my reaction to it may differ from yours.
It is also very important what store of knowledge, experience, and preparedness I have when I encounter something I have never experienced before, and who I am. A crisis reveals all these aspects of my life, but I myself decide how I will move forward and live.
For example, the police unexpectedly come to you with a warrant for your arrest, and you are taken into custody until the circumstances of your offense are clarified. Is that a crisis? Yes. What will happen next? It is difficult to predict. How are you to live? You have to adapt to new conditions.
A crisis is not always a catastrophe. From an optimistic perspective, it offers new opportunities for new discoveries and achievements. If my mind is enterprising, I begin to study the new situation and seek the best way out and the right solution, so that I may benefit from it or learn something, for life goes on.
But I can react differently to what is happening. I can fall into discouragement and apathy; I can become angry with everything and everyone and turn to accusations and criticism. Some people begin to seek an answer from God and find something better.
If I am a believer, I begin either to ask God for help and support or to blame Him for what is happening, and I reconsider my relationship with Him. As a result, I either become stronger and draw closer to God, or I become disappointed and leave Him.
Crises are different, and there is no universal rule for what the right course of action is or what will be best. There is general advice from those who have gone through such things, but even that advice does not always reach the mind and does not suit everyone.
What kinds of crises are there? Personal and societal, financial, family, political, economic, spiritual, psychological, natural, military, and others. And all of this opens new doors for me onto a new page of my life.
The Lord always uses every crisis for the good of those who have a personal relationship with Him. But He also has dark milestones in my life that He has planned for me, into which He deliberately leads me in order to help me move to a new level of development and relationship, reevaluate all my values, and rid myself of the unnecessary and dangerous burden of cares and problems. During this time of trial, it can be very dark and painful, but the Lord is always near to support and save.
In every crisis, the Lord controls the situation and, in a special way, preserves His faithful children, turning everything to good and helping them find their bearings in the new circumstances of life.
And although all the crises listed above can provide new opportunities for anyone, there is one crisis that will bring many to a dead end and destroy them morally and physically. This is the crisis of the last days—the closing of the door of grace. It will be a brief and rapidly unfolding event that will end with the Second Coming of Christ in the clouds of Heaven. This truly is the crisis of all crises. After it, everything will change, but not in the same way for everyone.
And in the light of all these events, all the crises I am experiencing now will seem like little crises compared with what awaits us.
But now—right now, and not later—is the time for me to prepare for all this, so that I may enter into it with a deep personal relationship with Christ, Who will lead me through this fire, and nothing will harm me.
There was a time in the history of God’s people when the Lord decided to give them over to captivity for seventy years in order to cleanse His people from many vices and return them to their homeland with a different way of thinking. Not everyone endured this trial, but it was for the good of all. The Lord decided to act in this way, and nothing could change this decision; it was fulfilled exactly.
What is happening to God’s people now? They are mingled with the tares, and attempts are being made to make them drunk with the wine of Babylon. How much longer will God look upon such an attitude toward precious Salvation? The Spirit of God will not be disregarded forever. And how God’s heart languishes as He awaits this time. “While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.” What a sad picture. A sleeping church does not bring joy to its Head, but although it slumbers, life reigns within it. Have you seen trees in winter? They are all bare, standing without leaves or fruit, as though dead, but life reigns in every branch. The crisis of cold has laid bare their essence, but it has not killed them. They await better times, and that time will come.
Christ teaches that there will be a time of trouble and that, in the last days, not many will stand, but the love of many will grow cold. Yet “many” does not mean everyone. I have hope that in many students of God’s School of Agape Love, love will find a place in the heart, kindle into flame, and never grow cold, even when it is very dark, damp, and cold all around. This will not be a mere emotional experience, but a firm knowledge of the truth, steadfast faith in God, and unconditional love for our neighbors and for one another.
When my heart opens to God’s love, this Eternal Love enters, brings me a new heart, and begins, by the hand of the Creator, to write God’s laws within me—upon my new heart of flesh and in my mind. This was promised long ago as something distant and beautiful, and now it is being fulfilled in my life. I experience the fulfillment of this prophecy, understand what it is, and rejoice.
The coming crisis does not frighten me, although I tremble at the thought that some hidden sin might be found in me that could destroy me and kill my love. “Lord, reveal it to me now, while there is still time to correct something!”
Love truly casts out fear. You may want to be afraid, but you cannot. There is watchfulness, and attentiveness becomes sharper. There is also the danger of exalting oneself because of what is good and wise, but the Lord humbles me under His mighty hand and leads me onward, higher and deeper.
How I long for all of us, friends, to experience even now a crisis of love—a crisis of realizing that man does not possess the agape that God alone has and that He alone can fill my heart with it to overflowing through His personal presence and instruction. As a pledge of this event, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, Who makes His home in the thirsting heart, subdues my disposition, purifies my understanding, and brings forth the good fruit of love. And I learn from the most wonderful Teacher Himself, Who is Wisdom and Graciousness.
Love brings everything within me to perfection. It cleanses my thoughts and brings order to my feelings. It gives me strength to resist sin and gives me victory in trials and battles. It prepares me for the crisis of the last days.
When a crisis is an opportunity for a person, he seeks ways out. But when there is no way out and death—eternal death—lies ahead, then terror comes, true terror. All previous experiences and victories will help no one overcome it. But love boldly enters that time and holds firmly to Christ, comparing my every action with God’s law, which is in my heart.
Homework 244
In the light of our lesson, please read Psalm 118:24; Revelation 11:15–17; Matthew 24:32–34, 22, 12–14; Daniel 12:1; Romans 2:7–8; 5:2–5; 15:13; 2 Corinthians 4:17–18; Colossians 3:14; and 1 John 4:17–19. What useful lessons did you take for yourself from this lesson? Have you experienced personal crises in your life? If so, how did you come through them? Why does the “narrow way” pass through all kinds of personal and societal crises? How do you picture the global crisis, and how can you prepare for it? What role will love play in the closing events of earth’s history? When should we prepare for the time of trouble? How should we do this? How can I determine what I have within me and whether I am ready for the final events? Or should I not engage in self-examination? Do you have a fear of the coming trial that deprives you of peace and the joy of life with God? What must I do to be saved during that time?