By Steven Norris
What comes out when you are squeezed? How do you naturally respond in times of crisis and struggle? I served as a summer missionary in Northern Thailand during college. One day, as we were traversing some extremely windy mountain roads, we had a moment of crisis. Coming around a blind curve on that not-quite-two-lane road, we came face-to-face with an oncoming vehicle. Noi, the wife of the Thai pastor with whom we were working, cried out, “Jesus help!”
She didn’t gasp or blurt out profanity. She called on Jesus for help. That is because Noi has a vibrant prayer life. Every morning, she begins her day in prayer and has cultivated an intimate relationship with God. Therefore, in times of crisis, she automatically went to the One she knew and trusted.
A similar story can be found in the book of Daniel. In the sixth chapter, the Babylonian king issues a decree making it illegal for anyone in his kingdom to pray to anyone except the king. They did this to trap Daniel, a Hebrew prophet living among them. Daniel is faced with a moment of crisis. Does he pray to God as he knows he should or does he submit to the king’s decree?
In verse ten, we read, “Even though Daniel was aware the king had signed the ordinance into law, he continued to do what he always did. He would go home, ascend the stairs to the upper room—which had windows facing toward Jerusalem—and get down on his knees three times a day and pray to his God and praise Him.”
Most of the time, heroic decisions are not made in the heat of the moment. For Daniel, there was very little discernment needed upon hearing the king’s decree. He went home and did what he had always done — he prayed to God and sought God’s assistance. In the moment of crisis, Noi did what she always did — she cried out to God for help.
As Christians, we will continue to face circumstances where our faith commitments are at odds with the values of the world around us. The moment of crisis is not the time to start trying to form a discerning heart or intimate prayer life (though prayer is always a good idea). In those times, the screaming voice of circumstance will often drown out the still, small voice of God’s Spirit.
Learning to hear the voice of God and following the promptings of the Spirit begins with regular habits of prayer. It begins when we set aside consistent times to open our hearts to God and to be still and silent long enough to hear God’s voice speak to us. Discernment is cultivated when we immerse ourselves in the scriptures, hiding its truth within our heart. It is developed when we put God’s word into practice and become “doers of the word, not just hearers only.”
Moments of crisis typically reveal and magnify what is already present in our lives. May you take steps this week to pursue a Christlike heart so that, when the crisis comes, your response may point others to him.