- She just got off the phone with the doctor; she has been informed that she has stage 4 breast cancer.
- He just got a call from the police; they told him his house burned while he was away.
- They just got a call from the school. They learned that their child was attempting suicide by cutting himself.
We all face crises in life. They are uncomfortable, unpleasant, and inconvenient. They have the potential to make or break us. How we respond will make the difference.
Daniel Faces A Crisis
In Daniel 2, we learn of a person in the middle of a crisis. His name is Daniel. The king he serves has just had a dream that no one can repeat back to him or interpret. In his wrath, he declares that all his staff (including Daniel and his friends) are to be executed.
Talk about crisis!
Instead of panicking, worrying, or fretting, here is how Daniel responded:
1. Instead of brashness, he responded with wisdom
His wisdom manifested itself in two ways:
(a) He went to the guard who announced the execution orders and asked questions. There is wisdom in asking questions. It helps you gain accurate info and stops you from jumping to unwarranted and unrealistic conclusions.
(b) He went to the king and requested time. Taking time to craft a response is often better than impulsively reacting to something.
2. Instead of fear, he responded with confidence
His confidence is seen when he goes to the king, assuring him that he will return with an interpretation of his dream.
Where did Daniel gain this confidence from? He didn’t know how he would get the interpretation, but he knew who could give it to him. So because he knew who, it gave him confidence despite not knowing how.
3. Instead of worrying, he responded with prayer
After Daniel spoke to the king, he recruited his friends, and together they started praying. Don’t go through a crisis alone.
My friend Jeba always counsels people to find 3-6 close friends who can commit to praying for them as they go through their crisis. There is power in collective prayer.
4. Instead of complaining, he responded with praise
God heard the request of Daniel and his friends, then blessed them with the answer they were looking for. The Bible tells us that immediately, Daniel began to praise God.
Sometimes, God doesn’t give us the answer we want right when we ask; that’s the time when we must learn how to praise Him in advance.
5. Instead of procrastination, he responded with follow-through
After God answered Daniel, he did not sit on his hands. Immediately, he went to the king and relayed the dream and its interpretation.
In life, you have a lot of self-starters but not self-finishers. People who will begin a process but will not see the process through to the end to achieve progress.
Daniel was a self-starter and a self-finisher. He saw the crisis through to the end, and the Lord rescued him, his friends, and all the wise men.
This teaches us that no matter what crisis you go through, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Tough times don’t last forever, but tough people do.
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