It seems to never fail. When anticipating a wonderful life event, a tidal wave of trouble always seems to hit just ahead of your blessing. You find yourself in the midst of an unexpected crisis. The word crisis originates from the Greek “krinein” which literally means “decision”. The word was originally intended to describe the turning point of a disease where a major change takes place, resulting in either recovery or death.

Although it is derived from a medical situation, the spiritual aspects of a crisis condition fit the same description. A crisis is a spiritual turning point as well. Turbulent and stress-filled moments often help us discover or reinforce our true source of strength. A crisis is where the spiritual rubber meets the road. Your spiritual positioning dictates your path to certain victory or crushing defeat. Regardless of the nature of the crisis, prayer should be part of your coping strategy. Consider these critical components in your prayers:

1. Acknowledge who God is based on experiences from your own life. Reflect on previous difficulties from the perspective of a survivor rather than a victim. If it helps, open your prayer as if you were making a celebratory toast – heaping on your praise to God and stating how much He means to you! Psalm 68:19-20 says “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.”
2. Ask God to cleanse you by flushing toxins like fear, unforgiveness, envy, worry, and harshness from your spirit and replacing them with courage, love, joy, kindness, and peace. Psalm 51:10 says “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
3. Release the situation to God by asking Him to move on your behalf. Pray for everyone who comes to mind that is associated with the situation. Most importantly, pray that God’s will be done. Resist the temptation to help God by dictating how you would like the situation resolved. His solutions are better than ours anyway. We may beg God for a leaf where He intends to bless us with a garden! John 5:17 says “But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.””
4. Watch for God’s solution and continue to seek His face, practicing your spiritual habits in the meantime. Don’t allow yourself to boycott God. Doing so only delays your breakthrough and increases your frustration. Psalm 145:18 says “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.”

God has already worked out the situation so that you can spiritually mature, even as God is being glorified. Crisis situations can increase our faith because they force us to confess our natural limitations and rely on God’s supernatural power. The battle is already won! When we pray with expectation God rewards our faith and allows us to walk in certain spiritual victory!

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
-James 1:12