Title: Crisis
Scripture Reading: Psalms 107:23-32; Acts 27:9-12
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
24 These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.
25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.
28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
32 Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,
10 And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.
11 Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.
12 And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west.
The Christian life is multifaceted. At any given moment, I find there are several different things thrown at you at one time
On some bad days, what come at us can be called crisis: a sequence of events which can lead to a condition of instability or danger as in social affair, economic affair or even church affairs. It can even be a dramatic emotional or circumstantial upheaval in a person’s life.
These are real, and we experience it. But as Christian, we are to face them differently to that of the people of this world. We are not to allow them to trouble your mind, your life disturbed throughout.
‘When written in Chinese, the word “crisis” is composed of two characters. One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.’ Every crisis is, at the same time, an opportunity. Crises are often caused by sudden and unexpected difficulties. What do we do when we are ‘at our wits’ end?’ What do we do when the ‘principal of the gospel’ is at stake? How do we respond to ‘a day of crisis in our lives?
- The Power of God – He delights his people
Psalms 107:26-29
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
27 They reel to and from, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.
28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psalms 107:23-32 is a hypothetical situation of deliverance. These are striking images of seasickness and fear associated with a storm at sea. It also emphasizes YHWH’s control of water.
‘They that go down to the sea in ships’ in verse 23 seems to imply these are expert Phoenicians, or sea fearers.
The matter of being a sailor in the days of the Psalmist was a dangerous business. A man who went on a voyage could not be sure if he was coming back or not. He was more apt to commit himself to God than folk who board a great ship or a plane in our day.
Your crisis is an opportunity to witness the Power of God. But personally, to me the most beautiful thing we can learn out of crisis is to realize that God delights in us.
Psalms 107:31 says, ‘Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.
It is said of Thomas Aquinas that one day he walked in on the pope while he (the pope) was counting the money of the church. The pope said, ‘Sir Thomas, no longer can the church say to the lame man, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’ Thomas wheeled around, started out of the room, and without looking back he replied. ‘That is right sir. And no longer can the church say to the lame man. ‘Rise up and walk.’
Today, we are problem conscious, not power conscious. We are easily troubled, and we forgot there is a God. The early church was conscious of the power of God. I shared last week that we can experience the miracles of God step by step.
Psalms 34:19. It says, ‘Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.’ A more detailed look at this verse and the related concepts is: while the righteous may face many difficulties and trials, God is faithful to deliver them from all of them.
Going back to the scripture, a ‘tempest’ seems to blow and the waves are ‘lifted high’ as described in verse 25.Verse 26-27 says, your courage melts away and you reach your wits’ end.
Verse 28 says, ‘The people called out to God’ in their crisis condition.
For many, instead of crying out to God, we cannot help reflecting on the crisis, and we are frequently overtaken and overwhelmed.
The bible says, ‘God calms the storm, so that its waves are still. God does what only God can do – calm the stormy sea by His command. The bible says, ‘God brought them to their desired haven.’ This is literally ‘desired city.’ Many English translations have ‘haven’ or ‘harbor.’ I think it parallels the ‘inhabited city’. It was a place of rest, provision, and safety. It may contrast ‘the gates of death.’
Four times in the Psalms 107, God reminded his people to give him glory and praises when He delivered them out of crisis.
- The truth of the Gospel is at stake
In times of Crisis, the truth of the Gospel or the principle of the Gospel can be at stake, requiring Christians to stand firm in their faith and proclaim the message of God’s love and salvation, even in the face of opposition. We have a tendency to give in and comprise when a crisis appears, but we lose more than you gain by compromising. You can even invite the displeasure of God, worsening the already difficult crisis.
Compromise is to make concessions or accommodations to someone who does not agree with a set of standards or roles. The bible makes it very clear that God does not condone compromising His standards.
In Act 5:19 Peter and the Apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than men (we have no other choice.)
Principle is an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct. It is a fundamental, primary or general law or truth. It is a fundamental doctrine or tenant: a distinctive ruling opinion.
Paul was also put in a similar crisis situation in a church concerning circumcision. But he was filled with courage and determination, combined with skill and diplomacy to avoid a damaging division and split in that church. And Paul wanted to make it clear that he acted under the guidance and activity of the Holy Spirit.
- Determine the reason for the crisis
Bad weather happens for scientific reasons.
Our crisis in life has a root cause.
For Paul he had three reasons for the crisis.
Firstly, the ship captain did not listen to Paul’s godly advice and focused on greed from the ship’s owner; in effect, a bad advice.
Secondly, they also let the bad advice escalate to the crew and their lust for profit and speedy return to the home port were also the cause.
Thirdly, they relied on their greed and impatience to cloud a sound logical look to their circumstance and the right decision to make.
For some it was because of sins to lead a person to one bad crisis after another. It is a time to seek His face in surrendered devotion and prayer.
Use the time to seek the reason. Maybe a bad decision you made?
Bad advice you received? Sin? Fear? Or perhaps you are not growing in faith and practice, and God needs your attention. Maybe you cannot find the reason, Job was never given one.
In conclusion, maybe at this present moment you are literally facing a crisis. We did not think that the LORD cared at all. We are filled with fear, even to the fear of death. The storms of life are riding high and we are tossed to and from and are at the wit’s end. But Jesus understand your situation and he was even with the disciples when the storms was threatening them. Jesus was calm and even asleep. The disciples came and asked, ‘you do not care even if we die?’ Jesus gave the answer. He faced the storm on our behalf and commanded, ‘Be Still.’ And the waves subsided and there was a calm. Jesus calmed the storm of His disciple. Yet on Jesus personal crisis, He couldn’t calm His own storm. God did not calm his storm. He was killed by the storm of His own life. He was crucified on the cross and was not delivered. Why? So that when we believed in Him, we will not be overcome by storms of life but be delivered at all times because He will be with us at all times.
