Another Kind of Crisis

by Allison Martin

And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

Psalm 9:10

Is anybody else getting a little tired of living in unprecedented times? The past year has normalized words that I never expected to be in my everyday vocabulary. One you may have become all too familiar with is “crisis”.

Public health crisis. Financial crisis. Political crisis. A fitting description, when every aspect of our lives has been shaken to the core. And yet, beyond the outward chaos of the past year, most of us have experienced a inner turmoil as well. I heard someone use this phrase, and I can think of no better words to express what we are all facing personally and collectively - “A Crisis of Trust”.

This year has bred a skepticism that is truly unprecedented. No one knows exactly who or what to believe. When was the last time you read a speech, broadcast, Facebook post, or fact check that left you thinking, “I don’t know if I believe that...”?

In scrolling through social media, I often read posts back to back that completely contradict one another, each with their own statistics and data to support their reasoning. I read articles of what will inevitably happen in our country’s political realm, then read another article that asserts why that could never possibly happen. Talk show hosts and bloggers all seem to have the answers to the world’s social problems - their solutions are all contradictory with one another’s, and yet each is convinced that they are right.

It seems that our world is full of voices demanding our ear, and every voice has its own agenda. No matter where you stand politically, socially, or even religiously, everyone has “facts” that back up their opinion. And these facts often tell completely different stories. So our minds wrestle with another crisis, “What is the truth?” And just as importantly, “Who can I trust?”

Even as believers, it’s easy to become disillusioned amid all the confusion. But maybe this crisis of trust is showing us how misplaced our confidence has been. If it was in any person, career, or movement, it was all wrong.

Our trust is never secure in anything but Jesus.

Let me remind you that God has no hidden agenda or questionable motives. His purpose is what it has always been.

He works for His glory and our good, and all of His purposes are redemptive.

In a world where people let us down and things fall apart, He remains constant.

My prayer is that this can be both an encouragement, and a challenge. If you’ve encountered this crisis of trust, may you renew your confidence in the only One who is worthy of it.

Let’s also take the challenge of meeting the world in their place of crisis. Maybe they don’t need our opinions as much as they just need to see a life built upon a firm foundation.

The same winds and floods that devastate a life built on the sand point to the value of a life built on the Rock.

As the world battles their crisis of trust, let our lives point them to Jesus, “the same yesterday, today, and forever”.