What To Do...

When You Don’t Know What To Do
Biblical Strategies For 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.
2
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.
-The Author