In His Hands International Bible College

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO?

CONFRONTING CRISIS

A hazy sun was obscured by the smoke of numerous fires, casting an eerie morning light over the streets of Nairobi, Kenya.  The scene from my third floor hotel room was one of complete devastation.  Car windows were smashed, buildings were riddled with bullets, stores were ransacked,  and dead bodies lay in the streets.  After 19 years of peace, the city of Nairobi was caught in the crossfire of a bloody coup between rival military powers attempting to overthrow the government. That day we were scheduled to start a training institute for African Christian leaders from all over the continent. The administrator of the facility we were renting for the institute was frightened by the coup and did not want us to open the sessions. Due to anti-American sentiment,   the Kenyan government was advising Americans to flee the country if they could find a way out.   A Swiss airline crew staying in the hotel where I was residing offered me a ride to another city from where I could catch a flight to America, and I was seriously considering it.  Our national coordinator and the African delegates, however,  wanted to open the training institute as scheduled.   The final decision was mine, but--what should I do?   To be honest, I gave serious consideration to hopping a plane back to the safe haven of my California home, but would this be wisdom or a cowardly retreat? Should I remain in Nairobi and open the institute as scheduled, despite the danger? If I did, it could cost someone’s life--maybe mine! While every dilemma we face in life is not quite as dramatic as the situation I confronted in Nairobi, complex circumstances frequently result in the same question: “What should I do?”   We are usually taught that to find God’s will we should pray, study the Scriptures, listen to the inner voice of the Holy Spirit, seek Christian counsel, and analyze the circumstances. But what happens when there is no angelic visitation, no audible voice from God, no supernatural manifestation, no time to seek counsel--but you have a pressing situation and need an immediate answer? In 2 Chronicles 20 the Bible records the story of a man who faced such a dilemma. A formidable enemy was rapidly advancing to invade King Jehoshaphat’s nation. As the massive army marched towards him, Jehoshaphat fearfully acknowledged that he had no strategy to face   the crisis.  He didn’t have time to search the Scriptures, make an appointment with a Christian counselor, or wait for circumstances to work out. Jehoshaphat’s story begins with confusion but   ends in conquest because he learned what to do when he didn’t know what to do--and so can you!   Once you master the strategies Jehoshaphat used you can apply them to every crisis you encounter. 1 That terrifying day in Nairobi I decided to open the training institute  as scheduled, despite the continuing coup and governmental warnings. Hundreds of our African delegates got on their faces before God and  interceded for Kenya until some 52 hours later the government triumphed and President Daniel Moi publicly gave glory to God for restoring peace to his nation.   That day, I learned that my life, the spiritual destiny of others, and perhaps even that of an entire nation may be profoundly affected by what I do when I don’t know what to do.   If you are seeking God’s will but you are confused  and perplexed--then this book is for you!  Like Jehoshaphat, once you receive this revelation you will never again be fearful or indecisive when you don’t know what to do.