A Reflection On Crisis

When a situation appears disastrous

The young Jesus was missing for three days, a painfully long time for a mother and father who don’t know where their child is. It wasn’t the only time Jesus would be missing for three days. Both times—when He calmly sat in the Temple discussing theology and when He lay in the grave—His loved ones were thrown into a panic. Yet both times, Jesus calmly gives reassurance. Faith is the appropriate response, He seems to imply in His gentle rebukes. God remains on His throne, Jesus is Lord, and the situation at hand—whatever it is—isn’t nearly as critical as it seems.

Isn’t that an accurate portrayal of our reaction and His response in a crisis? We often run around in a panic because a given situation isn’t quite what we planned, or perhaps it even appears disastrous. All the while, Jesus calmly awaits our discovery that God is in fact sovereign, and Jesus Himself does in fact remain Lord. Are you in a crisis? Hear Him asking, “Why were you searching for Me?” and know that your situation is much larger to you than it is to Him.

“Why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

Luke 2:49