Maintaining Peace, Joy and Love in the Midst of Crises -
Part 1
This is the first in a series of blog posts examining a key
to personally dealing with crises. Included in this series will be selected
excerpts taken from my book,
The Power and Promises
of THE NAME Jesus
available in hardcover from the publisher at…
Or as an e-book at…
Or check the bookseller of your choice for availability.
Maintaining Peace,
Joy and Love in the Midst of Crises
Part 1
Into every life, sooner or
later, a crisis will come and the longer one lives the more crises he will
inevitably face. If one aspires to a position of leadership, critical
situations are multiplied because the leader must not only deal with his own
personal crises, but the corporate crises of the people or organizations he
leads. How a leader handles critical incidents and crises will be a significant
indicator of their success as a leader. A great leader can somehow face
extraordinary situations without undo anxiety, misery, anger or despair. How
was the apostle Peter able to sleep peacefully in a jail cell while awaiting
his execution? How was the apostle Paul able to joyfully sing and worship in
prison after having been severely and unjustly beaten? How was Stephen able to
love and forgive those who were stoning him to death? What kept Jehoshaphat
from panicking when his country was about to be invaded by a huge army? How did
Joseph maintain his faith after his liberty was maliciously stripped from him
and he was forced into slavery? In these cases, and many others in the Bible,
the key to maintaining peace, joy, love and a sound mind lay in the fact that
God’s called leaders walked closely with Him. Through close relationship with
the Lord they maintained positive attitudes even in severe cases. John Maxwell
writes, “Many times people who have suffered adverse situations in their lives
become bitter and angry. Over time, their lives will be negative and hardened
toward others. The tendency is for them to point back to a difficult time and
say, ‘That incident ruined my life.’ What they do not realize is that the
incident called for an attitude decision—a response. Their wrong attitude
choice, not the condition, ruined their lives” (105).[1] This
week we begin a series blog entries defining peace, joy and love; and examining
how these qualities were manifested in the lives of prominent biblical
figures. In so doing, it will be seen
that it is vitally important for leaders to recognize that the key to dealing
with crises and keeping a proper attitude through them, is in maintaining a
close relationship with the Lord.
The Bible is replete with examples of leaders who led in and
through extraordinary circumstances.
Moses faced many tests and hardships and remained obedient and faithful
to the Lord. He maintained his trust in the
Lord even when he was the only one. A
turning point incident for Moses’ leadership, that illustrates this, is the
crossing of the Red Sea . Don Howell writes, “Opportunity is
accompanied by danger and the pursuing army of Pharaoh pins the nation against
the waters of the Red Sea (Ex 14:5-9). Threatened by his enemy and slandered by his
fear-paralyzed brothers (14:10-9), Moses possesses a defiant faith in God’s
sure deliverance: ‘The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still’
(14:14). The people respond to Moses’
faith by imitating it and they pass safely through the waters, while the
Egyptian pursuers are drowned (14:21-30, cf. Heb 11:29). The result is a nation that reverences God
and is confident of its leader (14:31)” (29).[2]
Gideon was called to lead at a time of crisis for Israel . His story is the account, “of a great God
using a weak instrument to deliver an errant people” (Howell 55).[3] David, the small shepherd boy who became
God’s anointed king, faced many crises and maintained his faith. Daniel
maintained his integrity and found favor even while serving in an environment
hostile to his God. Nehemiah persevered through hardships, setbacks and
opposition to lead his people to the completion of the rebuilding of the walls
of Jerusalem .
Jehoshaphat, when presented with the news that his country
was surrounded by a huge invading army, didn’t panic. “Some men came and told
Jehoshaphat, ‘A vast army is coming against you from Edom , from the other side of the
Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar’ (that is, En Gedi). Alarmed, Jehoshaphat
resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah ”
(NIV Bible, 2 Chronicles 20:2-3). Note
that the first thing Jehoshaphat did wasn’t to call a general counsel, the
first thing he did wasn’t to take inventory of his army and weapons, the first
thing he did wasn’t to call his generals together to plan a military strategy. The first thing he did was that he “...resolved to inquire of the Lord”
(v.3). Jehoshaphat maintained a close relationship with God and looked
first to Him. The result was deliverance from and victory over his enemies.
Joseph is a pristine example of how to handle and endure
hardships. From the time Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers he, like
Daniel, maintained his integrity and faith in the Lord through every turn. This
is the most important point about Joseph’s life to the leader because it shows
him what his attitude should be even in the midst of bad and hard
circumstances. Joseph resisted sin and temptation, he grew in relationship with
God, he endured patiently and he found favor. Thus we see in Joseph tremendous
strength of character and humility. Joseph, though a slave, conducted himself
always with integrity and unwavering faith in the God of his father, Israel .
Joseph’s rise to favor in the household of Potiphar was quickly dashed by the
false accusations of Potiphar’s seductive wife whose advances Joseph refused. Of
Joseph’s humility and trust in God when he was falsely accused of Potiphar’s
wife, Josephus writes, “Now Joseph, commending all his affairs to God, did not
betake himself to make his defense, nor to give an account of the exact
circumstances of the fact, but silently underwent the bonds and the distress he
was in, firmly believing that God, who knew the cause of his affliction and the
truth of the fact, would be more powerful than those that inflicted the
punishment upon him” (66).[4] Howell
offers an interesting perspective on the biblical account of Joseph’s life. He
states that Joseph’s “repeated promotions and success is attributed not to
strength of will or superiority of intellect, but to the divine favor. ‘The Lord was with Joseph’ was the sine
qua non of his success as a leader” (25).[5] This
is a theme that seems to weave itself through the stories of many leaders who
rose to the occasion and the Lord’s calling to lead in and through times of
crisis. Leighton Ford observes, “To lead is to struggle. In a world such as
ours, in history as we know it, to choose the path of leadership is to be on a
collision course with conflict” (251).[6]
Ford further notes, “Crisis is a word
which comes from the Greek krisis. It
implies a separating or dividing. Every crisis brings about a polarization and
reveals what is truly inside people” (252).[7] If
what is truly inside a leader is the presence of the Lord, he will have all
that is needed to fulfill his calling and to endure any crisis.
The leader who is at peace in crisis will not be driven by a
sense of urgency or fear. The leader who remains joyful in trying situations
will not succumb to depression and grumbling. The leader who loves even those
who wish them harm will not be clouded by hatred and vengeance. The leader who
possesses peace, joy and love will not only enjoy the benefits of these fruits
of the Spirit, but will engender followers to whom they will be an inspiration.
And, as has been seen in the lives and leadership of all of the successful
biblical characters examined, the key to abiding peace, joy and love in and
through critical situations, is in maintaining a close relationship with the
Lord.
(to be continued)
_______________
NOTE: Please visit this blog site each week (a new blog is
posted every Monday). Over the next few weeks we will be continuing more parts
on this subject of Peace, Joy and Love in the Midst of Crises.
Next week: Part 2 - “Peace In the Midst of Crisis.”
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