Responding to Crisis in the Age of Facebook – A Call to Discernment After the Earthquake in Christchurch
Just before 1pm today the city of Christchurch on the south island of New Zealand was rocked by a devastating earthquake. As of tonight the death toll is up to 65 with hundreds still missing. Since we’re living in the age of social media where everyone finds out about everything as soon as it happens, chances are, you’ve already heard all about it; regardless of what continent you’re on. Living in the “age of Facebook” has its pro’s and con’s. One of the worst things about living in the era of social networking is that everyone can share their opinions; many of which aren’t worth sharing – especially in the wake of a catastrophe.
Right now Facebook is lit up with social commentary on the earthquake.
On one side are those who are defining the event as the judgment of God. They argue that this event (and other like it) are God-ordained opportunities for judgment-stricken regions to repent and seek the Lord. They appeal to God’s righteousness, justice and sovereignty. And on the other side are those who are saying God does not use things like earthquakes as instruments of judgment. Some even argue that historical judgments have been made obsolete. They argue that “God is good and God is love; therefore devastation could never have come from His loving hand.” They appeal to God’s mercy, compassion and kindness.
One seeks to get God on the throne; one seeks to get God off the hook. One intends to disrupt; the other to comfort. I submit to you that both of these messages are most likely out of touch with reality and not endorsed by heaven. Let me explain by way of example.
Jeremiah lived through a season of history marked by unprecedented suffering, affliction and pain; all of which God took responsibility for. Throughout the course of his ministry Jeremiah was consistently in conflict with so-called prophets who were scoffing at the idea of God being the source of the nation’s suffering. Those of you who’ve read the book of Jeremiah know how intense this conflict became.
In chapter 23 Jeremiah weeps His way through an address to those prophets who were resisting his message of God-ordained judgment. This chapter bears profound relevance for us now in the wake of the shaking of Christchurch. The core message of the address is in verse 18 where Jeremiah says:
“For who among them has stood in the council of the Lord to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened?”
The word of the Lord to Jeremiah’s generation facing devastation, I believe, is also the word of the Lord to our generation facing devastation (in whatever form). Jeremiah says that the appropriate response to crisis is not analyzing it and attempting to manage it intellectually. He says that the first and foremost activity of the people of God (especially leadership) in the wake of catastrophe is “standing.” The word “standing” (or “stood”) refers to the posture of the priests who ministered to the Lord. They waited upon Him. They were slow to draw conclusions and swift to tarry.
The prophet asks the leaders of his day for the source of their messages. He charges them saying “Have any of you actually heard this from the Lord or are you just speaking what you think should be said?”
It’s important to note that Jeremiah didn’t rebuke them for their theology – he rebuked them for the posture of their hearts. The Lord wasn’t necessarily offended at their conclusions (while He clearly was; just read the chapter!). He was more so offended at their willingness to speak without having been commissioned to; without having heard from Him first; without having waited upon Him; and most importantly, without having made themselves vulnerable before Him willing to embrace whatever it is He was thinking and feeling.
Look at verses 21-22:
“I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them…”
The text requires no detailed exposition: leaders were saying things they were never told to say. And herein lies the great crisis beneath the crisis: often we are unwilling to “stand” and “hear.” We itch to “run” and “speak.” And so we refuse to enter into the tensions involved. We resist the complexities. And we attempt to resolve it; inappropriately. We refuse to confess, like the leadership in Jeremiah’s day, “Lord, I don’t know you!” (1:6, 8). Instead we flaunt what we do know. Even if what we know isn’t true.
So here are a few closing exhortations: if you feel comfortable quickly proclaiming the earthquake (or any cataclysm) is the judgment of God or most definitely isn’t, you’re more than likely out of touch with reality and speaking words that “darken counsel.” Why? Not because your conclusion is necessarily wrong (though it may be), but because you’re so hasty to declare it without making yourself vulnerable to the idea that you may not have a clue what the Lord is doing or who He actually is. There’s more at stake in times like these than merely being “right.” And there’s a lot of the line if we’re “wrong.”
“Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
Now is not the time to analyze, speculate or dissect. Now is the time to stand, to listen and to weep. Our responsibility right now is to be counseled by the Lord – not to counsel on His behalf. With that said, let me be clear, we must contend for the prophetic spirit. And we must be faithful to declare the Word of God. I’m not negating that. I’m simply challenging the flippant culture so pervasive in our generation that encourages us to speak boldly when we have virtually no idea what we’re talking about. History is full of people like that. And every now and again a Jeremiah comes along and rocks the boat by proclaiming “You don’t know Him” suggesting that our intellectual management of the Almighty has gotten us into trouble. And this isn’t conducive to our shallow and opinionated “Facebook culture.”
Beloved, we need the prophetic ministry in these days. But the prophetic ministry in its purest form is but the overflow of the priestly ministry. And the priestly ministry is often the last place we think to go in crisis. Sure we “seek the Lord;” but most of our seeking is driven by false ideas about the One we’re seeking that we refuse to reconsider. If we miss this we could end up on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of God. And if you aren’t open to that idea as a possibility, then I’d suggest you pull a Job and put your hand on your mouth and your face to the dust. And since that’s what many people are doing tonight in Christchurch, it’s probably the best place to be: in the gap between the heart of man and the heart of God feeling the anguish of it all.
“If they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, then let them intercede with the Lord of hosts…” (Jeremiah 27:18)
