On Wednesday evenings, one of our classes is studying the book Pivotal Praying by John Hull and Tim Elmore. In the chapter, “Pivotal Praying When You’re Facing a Crisis,” John Hulls suggests: What to pray during a crisis:

• Ask God to give you wise thoughts. There is no need to overreact; ask for a clear mind. Crises have the potential to cause us to freeze or to focus.

• Ask God for wise words to say. “Mark Twain once said that the difference between the right word and the nearly right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” (21)

• Ask God for wise counsel. In 1 Kings 12, Rehoboam (son of Solomon) inherited the kingdom and the people were feeling intense pressure from taxes, so what did he do? Received counsel from two groups (older and younger) and made the wrong decision. The result was a divided nation... divided until 1948. So, ask and wisely take it!

• Pray that God will not allow the situation to deteriorate. – Jim Cymbala, pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle was despairing during a difficult time at the church and told the church that he “didn’t want to mark time.” He told the Lord, “I would rather die than merely tread water throughout my career in ministry.” Lord, let’s make progress!! Let’s not deal with the same things over and over.

Sometimes when a crisis occurs, all you can do is manage the crisis! However, one’s attitude is paramount: Thomas Edison’s lab facilities were heavily damaged by fire and as he was facing the ruins in the morning said, “There is value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Now we can start anew.”

We would probably all agree that the Christian life is not a stroll in the park. Jesus never said it would be and he was proactive as he gave the call to discipleship. He taught: Seek ye first the kingdom of God. Let God alone reign on the throne of your life. Don’t allow personal goals or plans to become more important than God. Don’t allow family members to take God’s place in guiding your life. Your relationship with God needs to be number one!

That is a steep challenge.  Have you asked yourself, “Can I do it?  Can I do what Jesus asks?  Can I place God before anything or anyone?” Does it matter most to me that God is pleased with my life?

Jesus is saying, “If you will place God first now, you will save yourself much grief in the long run.  The earlier you give God the #1 place, the better.”  Jesus says, “Make the most important decision at the very beginning!  Will God be number one?  Deciding up front will save you a lot of grief!”

The book of Philemon is a very short New Testament book, but it is powerful! Paul wrote this letter to Philemon, a Christian brother, whose slave Onesimus ran off and somehow ended up in the same prison where Paul was. (Coincidental? God-incidental?) While there, he became a Christian under Paul's influence. This is an excellent illustration the Apostle Paul gives us on how to deal with crisis/loss.

First, place yourself in Onesimus’ position.  Here was a slave who found it necessary or at least preferable to run away from his master.  He knew that if caught he would be severely beaten, if not killed! This crisis caused him to risk a lot. He left the security of a bad situation for the unknown.  His crisis now included a loss of security.

Unfortunately, something happened to put him in jail. So, his crisis now included a loss of freedom. Either he was caught breaking another law, or someone recognized him and “turned him in.”  So, finding himself in jail, he was considering his fate.  It doesn’t seem strange to me that he was open to the message of the Gospel!  His very life was at stake!  His crisis included a loss of control. How bad that is depends on who is in control!

So, under Paul’s ministry, he came to accept Jesus Christ.  He must have been completely honest with Paul because Paul puts his own reputation on the line by writing his friend, Philemon.  Paul was willing to risk for Onesimus, who carried the letter. And, don’t you think Onesimus asked, "Can I do it? Can I do what Jesus asks? Can I place God before anything or anyone?"  Can I carry this letter to Philemon, the one I ran from?

In the letter, Paul appealed to Philemon to be merciful with Onesimus since he had committed his life to Christ and had built a relationship with Paul that Paul deemed important.  This was a bold request Paul made! Essentially, he is saying, "Don’t treat him as a runaway. No longer treat him as a slave. Treat him as a brother in Christ!"

At that point, don't you imagine Philemon, the slave owner, asking: "Can I do it? Can I do what Jesus asks (or at least what Paul asks)? Can I place God before anything or anyone?"  Philemon must have thought, “I have the right to punish him – will I forgive him? Is my relationship with God more important than retribution or at least justice?”  “Am I willing to place God first?”  Don’t you think God reminded him, “I had a right to punish you but I forgave you instead!”?

Isn’t that the question we must all face?  Am I willing to trust God and place God first?  My relationship with God needs to be number one!  Will placing God first prevent all crisis and loss?  Not hardly!

Quickly, let me make several points:

1. The challenge to follow Jesus is difficult – it always has been and always will be. 

2. Those recorded in the pages of Scripture and in the pages of church history have all struggled in their pursuit of discipleship – just like we have.  I share this – NOT that we might console ourselves in our failures, but rather that we might have the encouragement to get up and be inspired to move forward once again. 

3. 12 persons are named in this little book.  I figure most of us have heard of:

• Half of them - Jesus, the Apostle Paul, Timothy, Mark, Luke, and if you’ve memorized the books of the New Testament, Philemon – these are well-known, but I'd guess that most of us know nothing or little of the…
• The other half – Apphia, Archippus, Onesimus, Epaphras, Aristarchus, and Demas.  These are unknown.

So what is my point? My point is that these are specifically mentioned, they were relatively important people in the life of the early church – even though we know little about them.  Not all of us are in positions to grab the headlines, but everyone is important in the Church of Jesus Christ! And, everyone faces crises in life!

4. You must face your conflicts.  Don’t put it off!  Until you deal with the past, you cannot move forward!

So, how do you answer the question, "Can I do it? Can I do what Jesus asks? Can I place God before anything or anyone?"  Answering these questions cautiously is wise! Jesus warned his listeners to "count the cost" – not to take these questions lightly – not to take the commitment necessary to follow him casually!

I know I cannot follow Jesus perfectly without ever stumbling or disappointing him.  When I personally fall…and then come to Christ and confess my failure and seek forgiveness and a new start, do you know that not even once has Jesus chastised me… he has never berated me or gone on about how disappointed he was in me?  Rather, he has showered me with grace and acceptance.  And then, I want to do better – to live more fully for him – to serve him as number one!

Ephesians 5: 8 reads, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of light.” Bob George, who wrote the book, Classic Christianity, suggests that a good paraphrase would be, "You once were a worm; now you are a butterfly. Fly like a butterfly!"  Too many of us are trying to act like butterflies – while thinking in our hearts that we are still worms.

My brothers and sisters, we are no longer worms... we are no longer darkness... we are no longer unknown names in the pages of the heavenly register... we are important persons in Christ's Kingdom! There is a place – an important place for each one of us!

Yes, we must answer the questions, "Can I do it? Can I do what Jesus asks? Can I place God before anything or anyone?" And when we do let's not believe the little voice that says, 'You know you can never do all that Jesus asked. You know you will fail... you always do." [Does anyone else hear that voice?]

Rather, listen to the voice that says, “My child, I love you and I will never ask you to do what is impossible with my help! And if you fall, just admit it and let’s move on!  You are “not a nobody” to me…I know you by name!”

When you face a crisis or some loss, do you ever moan, "Lord, I don't understand why this is happening to me? I don't understand how you could allow some of the things that are happening in our world! I don't understand how the pieces fit together!"

Well, Paul gives a prescription in verse six of his letter to Philemon, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." (Verse 6)

Do you see what I see? Understanding comes when we actively share Christ with others... and if there’s ever a time when people are open to hearing about Christ and God’s will, it’s when they are going through a crisis or we are going through a crisis!  So if you long to understand God’s will more, and make progress in your crisis then, be willing to talk with others about your faith and their faith. Make the most of your crisis by inviting God to become a part of your struggle.

And by the way, the issue is not whether or not you will experience crises, the issue is whether you will invite the Lord to go through your crises with you.  Can we do that?  Can we say yes to Jesus and no longer think of ourselves as worms, as though we are solely responsible for every crisis? Can we no longer live as worms… but live as butterflies!  Fly like a butterfly!"   We’ll still have personal losses, but with the strength and help of Christ, we’ll overcome them! We’ll have the heart to overcome!

The 27^th Psalm is great; in fact I use the first verse in just about every funeral: The LORD is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?  But I would do you a great disservice if I didn’t remind you of the last verse, especially when facing a crisis:  14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

I know we don’t like to wait, but waiting on the Lord is like:

·         A running back choosing to wait for the pulling guard before he tries to go around the end.

·         A farmer waiting to sow the seed until after the tractor breaks up the ground

·         Our waiting to make a deposit before attempting to pay our bills.

It is worth waiting on the Lord. When facing a crisis, decide whether:

• You will freeze or focus.
• This unwelcome event will force you away from God or closer to God.
• You will pray for wisdom or for escape
• You will wait on the Lord or do things your way.

"Can we do what Jesus asks? Can we place God before anything or anyone?" God asks this of each of us... I won’t pretend He doesn’t. And God asks this of all of us as a church? Well, can we do it? Do we have the heart it takes to seek God’s Kingdom first?

Prayer:  Almighty God, sometimes you seem demanding of us!  You ask to be number one and then you ask us to deal with all unresolved conflict in our lives.  We must be willing to “put it all on the line,” to “live by faith,” and be “willing to risk it all for you!”  Help each of us answer those haunting questions, “Can I do it?  Can I do what Jesus asks?  Can I place God before anything or anyone?”  Lord, we want to say yes, but there might be a lot of unresolved conflict in our lives… will we be able to trust you with it all?  Lord, all we can do is trust you with what will come, but today, we are willing to say yes to you!  You are “first and foremost!”  Whatever we may lose in life, we want to be sure to keep our relationship with you!  And Lord, help us remember when we are thinking, “I don’t understand…” that we are in a great position to share what we do understand with others… equip us to serve you! In Jesus’ name, Amen.