How do you seek God when you are in the midst of a crisis? Every believer will face crisis moments. You will encounter those times when your faith is tested. Following Jesus does not mean that you are exempt from suffering. It does not mean that your life will be crisis free. The Bible openly declares this truth, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials" (James 1:2). The Bible does not say if you will face trials; it says when you face trials. God wants you to know that you will experience these times in your life.
These crisis moments can be triggered by a variety of events. It might be the death of a loved one. It might be marital or family problems. It might be church problems. You may be struggling at work. It could even be that your blood pressure is up and that your bank account is down. You will experience those times when you don't know what to do. You run the gamut of emotions- fear, doubt, anger, despair. Your faith in your Father is being tested.
It is in these times that God calls you to seek Him. The believer should seek God on a daily basis. Prayer should characterize your lifestyle. Yet, in these crisis moments, you should intensify your praying. You should forsake any attempts to depend on yourself or to look for a fleshly answer to these experiences.
The prayer life of Jehoshaphat provides you with an example of how to seek God in a crisis. Jehoshaphat was the fourth king of Judah who reigned in the ninth century B.C. In 2 Chronicles 20, he experiences a crisis. He does not know what he could or what he should do. But, he seeks the Lord. His example of prayer will hopefully give you insight on how to seek God when you experience times like this. His example reveals five basic truths about seeking God in the midst of a crisis:
Realize your helplessness.
The opening verses of 2 Chronicles 20 set the stage, "It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, 'A great multitude is coming against you from the beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar' (which is En Gedi)." (vv.1-2). The text does not indicate why these other nations decided to attack Jehoshaphat. All the text says is that the odds were three against one. Three nations were coming to attack one man, Jehoshaphat. They formed a "great multitude". That phrase occurs three times in this chapter. And it left the king shivering for fear of his life, "And Jehoshaphat feared" (v.3).
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