Crisis defined
By Randy Hurst
Many economists describe the present condition in the United
States as “the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.” Even people
who have no investments keep an eye on the plummeting stock market. Such
looming instability has caused the vast majority of Americans to have
significant fears about the future. Just one negative event could cause a
succession of calamities.
“Crisis” is an
appropriate word for the economic state in most of the world. But some crises
cause even more fear than a stock market downturn in America. In many
countries, people face the grim prospects of daily survival — either
death from starvation, disease or violence. They have no stock portfolios or
retirement accounts. Each day is a struggle.
Traditional definitions of “crisis” include “a situation or
period in which things are very uncertain, difficult, or painful,” “a time when
action must be taken to avoid complete disaster or breakdown,” and “a critical
moment or time when something very important for the future happens or is
decided.”
In Chinese, the word for “crisis” is a combination of two
words — danger and opportunity. Fear focuses on the danger. But faith
sees the opportunity. In the crisis spots of our world, God opens doors of
opportunity for us to demonstrate His love and proclaim the message of Jesus.
In God’s foreknowledge and planning, He has positioned us to
make an impact on the world for His kingdom’s sake. God has called and placed
our missionaries and churches to be the salt of the earth and the light of the
world. To support them, He has called us to pray and give. In this way, we do
our part in accomplishing the good works God has prepared in advance for us to
do (Ephesians 2:10).
This month’s cover story features Executive Director John
Bueno’s spiritual and practical insight concerning how we as believers need to understand
and practice the right financial priorities in this time of economic crisis.
For those who see with eyes of faith, believe God’s Word, and are inspired and
led by the Spirit, the danger side of crisis is outweighed by opportunities to
advance our Lord’s kingdom and invest in the cause that matters most to our
Lord — reaching a lost world and entering into His work of bringing many
sons to glory.
RANDY HURST is communications director for the Assemblies of God World Missions.
E-mail your comments to tpe@ag.org.
