How To Be Confident in Crisis
The Bible teaches that there are three kinds of storms in life:
1. Storms that we bring on ourselves (as Samson and his self-induced troubles)
2. Storms that God causes (as Jesus stilling the storm on Lake Galilee)
3. Storms that other people cause (as Paul and Silas thrown into prison). When you’re the innocent party in a crisis – that last kind of storm is especially hard to take.
Storms don’t play favorites – Christians experience storms too. We all have problems. The Bible says:
“For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward.” Job 5:7 (NASB)
So how do we deal with these crises? How do you stay calm and maintain your confidence and courage in the midst of crisis? We are going to look at a story in Bible that deals with crisis. It is the story of Paul’s journey to Rome. He was a prisoner and he was being escorted to Rome. Part of the journey was by ship and on their journey they had come to the Island of Crete and to a harbor called “Fair Havens”. The season for sailing was past – the weather was changing – Paul gave his opinion on whether not they should continue their journey or stay there for awhile – that is when Paul said:
"Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives." But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul. Because the harbor was not suitable for wintering, the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there…” Acts 27:10-12 (NASB)
Paul told the sailors, “Men, I don’t think it’s a good idea to sail right now. I think it’s very dangerous to sail – you could lose the cargo and we all could lose our lives.” But they decided to sail anyway. A bad decision was made. Why? I think there are three common reasons why people make bad decisions. It happens today – it happened 2000 years ago. People make bad decisions. Human nature has not changed!
Three Reasons People Make Bad Decisions
The first reason people make bad decisions is:
1. Bad Advice From EXPERTS
“But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul.”
The centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice given both by the pilot and the captain of the ship. The first reason we get ourselves into a mess is that we listen to the wrong experts.
Folks – there are a lot of crazy ideas out there in the world. It seems that everyone wants to give you advice. It takes a lot of wisdom to sort through all that “stuff”. But listen to what the Bible says:
“Hold tight to good advice; don't relax your grip. Guard it well--your life is at stake!” Proverbs 4:13 (Msg)
Good advice is Godly advice.
Consider the source of your advice.
The second reason people make bad decisions is:
2. Wrong Perception Of The CIRCUMSTANCES
Those who were with Paul looked at the circumstances:
“Because the harbor was not suitable for wintering…..” they did not consider it a good place to stay and –
“When a moderate south wind came up, supposing that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, close inshore.” Acts 27:13 (NASB)
Notice that it says there was a moderate south wind. Some translations say, “a gentle southerly breeze came up” (Msg). What could be better for a nice Mediterranean cruise? The sailors thought they had obtained what they wanted because the circumstances looked favorable.
Folks let me ask you, “How many of you live in Kansas? How many of you have seen the weather change in a flash?” It can be calm in the morning and a tornado in the afternoon. That’s Kansas. (Note: the church I preach at is in Kansas – this may be true to other parts of the country also.)
But it is crazy to ignore what God says, even if circumstances tend to contradict it. Things may look good right now, but you may be sailing right into a storm.
I’ve heard people say, “Well, this decision must be OK because I feel so good about it.” Let me ask you – “Don’t your feelings change?” Feelings can change faster than the weather.
If God says, “Wait in the harbor,” you’d better wait in the harbor – it should not matter what the circumstances say.
The third reason people make bad decisions is:
3. Follow The CROWD
Our scripture says:
“Because the harbor was not suitable for wintering, the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there…”
The fact is that the majority is often wrong. Do you remember what happened when Moses first started to lead the Children of Israel? The majority wanted to go back to Egypt – but they were wrong. We can get ourselves into a real mess by following the prevailing option – the most popular ideas. But not only can we make wrong decisions – we can also make wrong moves.
Three Wrong Moves In A Crisis
When we’re caught in a crisis we typically do three things – the same three things that the sailors did. Their reactions are typical for people under pressure.
1. DRIVEN
In verse fifteen it says:
“When the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and let ourselves be driven along.” Acts 27:15
The first thing that storms tend to do is drive our lives. We get pushed around. We forget where we’re headed. We let go of our goals. We forget the values and are driven by the crisis.
Because they didn’t have compasses in those days – and because the stars were completely obscured by the storm – the sailors were really in total darkness. They were being driven by the storm and they didn’t know where they were headed. When you’re in a dark situation in which you can’t see the stars and don’t have a compass what do you do? You let the crisis drive you. You just let the waves beat you back and forth. Because of these strong currents in your life you feel like saying, “What’s the use? Why fight it? I’ll just go with the flow.”
But that’s not all:
2. DISCARDING
In verses eighteen and nineteen we find:
“The next day as we were being violently storm-tossed, they began to jettison the cargo; and on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands.” Acts 27:18-19 (NASB)
When a crisis comes in our life, first we are driven by the crisis then we start discarding things from our lives. With the sailors it was first the cargo then the ship’s tackle – later on it will be the grain (v. 38), and finally themselves! (vv. 43-44) They jumped overboard and started swimming to shore.
The point is this: Often when we get into a crisis of life we are tempted to throw out the very things that are important to us – the values that we’ve hung onto. We have a tendency to just throw everything out because we’re under pressure and want to get rid of it all. We become impulsive. We give up on our dreams. We run out on relationships. We throw away values that we learned as children.
But that’s still not all:
3. DESPAIRING
In verse twenty we find:
“Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned.” Acts 27:20 (NASB)
In an extreme crisis we eventually get to the point of despair and give up all hope. The last thing we throw out when we’ve got a problem is hope – and when we’ve thrown that away – we have reached the bottom of the barrel.
The sailors were fourteen days in total darkness in a little ship in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. They had been bashed back and forth by the storm till they threw out everything and gave up all hope.
Perhaps you feel like that right now. You’ve been going through a problem the past week or past month or past year. It’s been batting you back and forth, and you’ve come to the point of despair: “What’s the use? There’s no hope. This is an impossible situation.” But that’s not the end of the story. There was still hope because Paul was there and there was still God.
Four Ways To Be Confident in Crisis
The amazing part of this story is Paul’s reaction – it is totally different than the attitude of the sailors. The sailors are down and discouraged – they are at the end of their rope. To them everything looks hopeless. But Paul is calm and confident. He’s got courage in the crisis. He is staying cool in the midst of a hot crisis. The sailors’ reactions were the natural responses to crisis. But Paul’s reaction was supernatural. He knows where he is but he also knows where God is too.
One test of our Christianity is how we handle a crisis. Anybody can call themselves Christian when things are going great – but what happens when things are going bad? When things are falling apart? When crisis meets you head on? Do you cling to Christ at times of crisis?
Problems are a testing of our faith. When the problems come – we’re tempted to despair – to drift – to be driven by circumstances or – to throw in the towel. Character is revealed in a crisis – not made in a crisis. Character is made in the day-by-day, mundane, trivial things of life – the routine. Character is made in the everyday – but it is revealed when we get into a shipwreck – into a situation that threatens to swallow us up.
What should you do when things look like they’re falling apart and the ship’s falling apart under your feet? What should you do when you’re being battered by the problems in life? Look what the sailors did:
“Fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and wished for daybreak.”
Acts 27:29 (NASB)
The safest thing to do when you get in a storm is to drop your anchors. Put your anchors down. Just stay where you are. Just stand still. Situations change – circumstances change – crisis comes and crisis goes – just wait it out. The Bible says:
“Those who trust in the LORD Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.” Psalm 125:1 (NASB)
Often when people encounter a major problem they want to change everything in their lives – they are uncomfortable where they are so they want to move. No one wants to stay in an uncomfortable situation. But when a crisis comes – it usually comes with change and it’s not a good idea to add more change to it. What they need to do is put down the some anchors and get some stability.
Why was Paul able to stay confident in crisis? Because he remembered four things – four fundamental principles that all of us should remember when crisis comes. They became the anchors for his life and they can be the anchors for our life too. The first is:
1. Remember God’s PRESENCE
The first anchor in a crisis is the presence of God. In the midst of the storm Paul says,
"I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me.”
Acts 27:22-23 (NASB)
Folks here is a fact: The storms of life don’t keep God away from our door. We may not see Him – but He sees us. We may think He’s a million miles away – but He is watching us and is with us.
God promises in the Scriptures:
"I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU," Heb 13:5 (NASB)
Over and over the Bible says that wherever we are – God is right there with us. I never go through anything all by myself because God is always with me. No matter what situation you’re going through right now – God is with you. He is the Anchor that you can fully trust.
Second:
2. Remember God’s PURPOSE
The second anchor in a crisis is found in Acts 27:24. An angel told Paul:
'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar….'
Acts 27:24 (NASB)
God had told Paul, “I have a plan for your life. My plan is that you go to Rome. My plan is that you’re going to preach in Caesar’s court. I have a purpose for your life that is greater than the temporary storm you are in.”
Every Christian ought to have a sense of destiny. No person is really born by accident. God has a plan and a purpose for your life. You’re not here on earth just to take up space. You’re not here just to use up oxygen.
Storms may come and storms may go – but God has a purpose for your life. Absolutely nothing can change God’s ultimate purpose for your life unless you choose to disobey Him. If you choose to reject His plan – He will allow you to do that – but the Bible teaches that no outside person can change God’s plan for your life. God leaves that up to you. You can either accept it or you can reject it – but no matter what happens on the outside – external forces cannot alter God’s purpose for your life.
The purpose of God is greater than any situation you will ever experience. God has a plan beyond the problems you’re facing right now.
Third:
3. Remember God’s PROMISE
The third anchor that gives us confidence in crisis is found in verse 25:
"Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.” Acts 27:25 (NASB)
The third anchor is to remember God’s promise. Does God keep His promises? Always! – He never fails. Storms can distract us – but God is always there and He always keeps His promises.
Some of you may be going through a crises right now. Your problems seem overwhelming – you think you’re going drown. But let say this – God is watching over you. You may lose the cargo – you may lose the tackle – you may lose the ship – you may even get wet – but you’re going to make it – because of the promise of God.
And:
4. Remember To PRAY
What should we do while we’re waiting for God to fulfill His promise? Pray. Talk to God – tell Him your feelings – tell Him your fears – tell Him you trust Him. The storms of life will come and go – but they cannot keep you from talking to God. You may be going through some difficult times right now – but God has a purpose for your life. There’s a reason for it all and you’re going to make it safely to land!
(I want to thank Rick Warren for the sermon starter ideas.)
