Think back over the times in your life when you faced troubling situations and found that Jesus was able to carry you through and bring good out of them. These are your “crisis stories,” and they can be very effective when you’re trying to point people to Jesus.
The blind man on the Sabbath
The Gospel of John includes a story about a young man who was born blind. He sat in the temple area and begged for money every day. When Jesus saw the man, He was filled with compassion. Jesus covered the man’s eyes with mud and told him to go wash it off in the Pool of Siloam. The man did what Jesus said, and his eyes were miraculously healed.
As news about the healing spread, the religious leaders found fault with Jesus. He had healed the man on the Sabbath, which was not allowed according to their interpretation of the Law. They interrogated the man about what had happened, and what he thought of Jesus. John 9.25 ESV reports his response: “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” His greatest weakness became his greatest witness for Jesus.
The wild man filled with demons
Another time, Jesus encountered a man who was filled with demons. He had been a wild man, running around in graveyards, cutting himself, and screaming at people. When the man met Jesus, his life was completely changed.
When Jesus was preparing to leave the town, the man begged Jesus to take him along. But Jesus told the man to go and share his “crisis story”: “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been” Mark 5.19 NLT. His shady past became his new platform to talk about the power of Jesus.
Not all things are good
Romans 8.28 ESV says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” This verse doesn’t say that all things are good. Everyone knows there are things that happen in life that aren’t good. However, this verse promises that when you are committed to living on God’s path of life, even the bad things that come your way can be used by Him for good.
When you experience trials and tragedies, choose to see them as meaningful moments that can strengthen your faith and add to your collection of “crisis stories.”
As you talk openly and honestly with people about the past pains in your life and how Jesus has brought good out of them, those stories might just be the thing that draws them to Him.
This blog features an excerpt from one of our student series books, Reach Your World.
