It was a season our church wasn’t doing well. Our income had bottomed out and the bills were mounting. Then, as providence would have it, our giving was even lower. As I drove away I crashed in my spirit. But the Lord began to speak to me tenderly. “Would you like for me to speak to you about this?” He asked.
I was hurt and angry. It was all I could do to say yes. I wanted to sit in my frustration. I was working for Him after all. And, in my estimation, working without resources. “This is a good thing,” He said. Good? Did you miss read the giving amount and mistakenly add a few zeros? How could this crisis be good?
He heard my heart. “Yes, this is good. You are going to ask the church for money, and they are going to give, and I am going to bless them.” What? The crisis that appeared to be destroying our church was going to result in a blessing to the members?
This was during the Christmas season, and when money is tighter than at other times of the year. They would give? You will bless? We wrote our church a letter describing our situation. Then we added this word, “If you have been blessed here, we ask you to pray and then do your best. If not, please do not give. We should not be here if we are not making a difference. Whatever happens we will believe is the Lord’s design.”
Christmas Eve was our key giving date. And the money exploded! Thousands of dollars extra were given, more than enough to meet our need.
But that was not the end of the story. As the Lord declared, the people gave and He poured out blessings. Some got better jobs and others had breakthroughs in relationships. The excitement of the members about the church skyrocketed.
“This is a good thing,” the Lord had declared to me. The crisis would open an opportunity for blessing. And so it did. Crisis can be heavy and crushing. It can also be an entry point for the Spirit of God to move deeply and powerfully and create a new future. I’ve never looked at crisis the same since!!!