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Calm in the Storm: How God Can Redeem a Crisis to Advance His Kingdom
There is nothing like a crisis to reveal the cracks in the walls of our soul. But God promises to redeem all things that come into our lives to make us more like Jesus. We are experiencing a unique crisis in our day and age, COVID-19. It has created fear, death, and will leave economic disaster in its wake. In this book, I don’t just want to talk about how we can survive this crisis, or how we can access the peace of God in tumultuous times. I want to talk about how God can redeem a crisis in our personal lives to take us deeper into maturity and intimacy with Christ. And how this particular crisis could potentially lead to revival if the church processes it well. We stand on the precipice of an unprecedented opportunity to be purified and mobilized on mission to advance the Kingdom of God in our generation.
129 pages, Paperback
Published May 18, 2020
29 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 15, 2022
Very Helpful
This short read provides perspective as well as practical steps in how believers can respond to the Covid crisis and, in the aftermath, continue to embody the love of God to a world in need. Thanks for writing this, Rob Reimer!
This short read provides perspective as well as practical steps in how believers can respond to the Covid crisis and, in the aftermath, continue to embody the love of God to a world in need. Thanks for writing this, Rob Reimer!
September 21, 2025
Helpful book for dealing with crises. It talks a lot about COVID, so it seems it was written mainly for that, but the principles are helpful in any crisis, personal or widespread.
Some quotes and notes:
The number one command in Scripture is
"fear not"; this is the thing God says more often than anything else. I think God says this more often than He says anything else because fear makes us self-focused and selfish. (21)
Often, when we are afraid, it is because we are more focused on the temporal realities than we are on our eternal citizenship. (22)
I've heard it said of some people that they are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good. But I'm not convinced of that. It is more likely that they are so religiously molded, they are no earthly or heavenly good. But true heavenly mindedness produces the most earthly good, because it makes us fearless in crisis, courageous for the Kingdom, and passionate for the cause of Christ. Paul is an unstoppable force for the Kingdom because of his singular heavenly mindedness. He labors for heaven; he lives for Jesus and His eternal kingdom. His focus is unmovable. His passion is unshakable. He has nothing to lose on earth; if they kill him, he gains heaven and gets to be with Jesus! If they let him live, He does more to advance the Kingdom so that many others can get to know Jesus. Either way, the Kingdom of Heaven benefits because of his focused, eternal mindset. (24)
The old timers used to talk about 'detachment.' They challenged us to detach from earthly things in order to more securely attach to the heavenly King and His Kingdom. This is what they understood: The problem with too much earthly attachment is that it robs us of our heavenly affection and our eternal effectiveness. Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). If I have my attachments and comforts in the here and now, my heavenly affection will be dulled. Earth bound attachment prevents us from making Jesus our first love. If we are going to have a pure, undivided love for Jesus, sifting is necessary. Crisis creates sifting; sifting creates unadulterated attachments to Jesus. (27-28)
Show me how a person handles a crisis and it will tell me a lot about the person's interior life. Crises reveal the cracks in the interior walls of our soul. Crises don't create inner problems; crises reveal inner problems. This is why crises are often a great opportunity to deal with our issues and experience transformation. (35)
Even if you are wrestling with some of the side effects of fear like irritability, anger, or control, you must deal with the disease, not the symptoms in order to gain the victory. We must go after the root, not the fruit. Fear is a primary emotion. (36)
—> the practical steps:
1. Take responsible action—do the first step; don’t let fear paralyze you
2. Hold onto and rely on God’s love. Knowledge of God’s love is not enough. We need to rely on God love through revelation of the Holy Spirit. “Hope would a deeply loved person act right now?”
3. Set our hearts on eternity. “Worry is a preoccupation with our problems; peace is a byproduct of our fixation on Jesus. We have to set our hearts on the eternal.”
4. Cling to the promises of God. “The promises of God have always seen the people of God through the most impossible circumstances in the most improbable ways.”
5. Deny ourselves. “Fear gets our eyes off of God and onto ourselves. Fear makes us self-focused and selfish; we become hoarders with a scarcity mindset, rather than generous givers with a sacrificial mindset like Jesus. We have to die to our fears. We have to die to our rights to have abundance, to have certain comforts. We have to die to our attachments to our earthly possessions and positions. Jesus called us into death, so He could give us life. Jesus didn't come to be served, but to give His life away as ransom. Jesus called us to follow Him on the way to the cross: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). I have discovered in my life that nearly every time I am miserable, I am making it too much about me.”
6. Face the worst with faith. What’s the worst that could happen? What’s so bad about that, and what are the blessings of that worst case scenario?
7. Face the worst with redemptive hope. Imagine how these dark times could be redeemed.
Hardship pierces the heart and makes us accessible to God in places that were once inaccessible. (57)
Get alone with God often during dark seasons
If we don't process our grief, our trust will
be diminished. We can't whitewash pain and heartache with pithy religious phrases or a memorized verse from the Bible. This is what a religious person does - they take a truth and put it on like an outer garment, but they fail to internalize it in their inner being so that it becomes part of their life. They have the right words, but religion is skin-deep. (64)
To prepare for silence before God:
1. Pray through your agenda and to-do list for the day (to offload it)
2. Ensure confessions are current
3. Pray through fears/anxieties
4. Meditate on the Word or worship
5. Be still (71)
Crises reveal cracks in our soul—dysfunctions, unhealed hurts, weak spots. So that’s an opportunity for us to become aware of those and grow. (76)
Often Churches are reluctant to join other organizations in our community as they attempt to address the needs around us. Rather than joining a local organization that feeds the homeless, they start their own homeless ministry. But this is no time to do everything on our own. This is a time to form partnerships, to come alongside others, to help coordinate efforts, and to join the cause in meeting needs. We can love the people we serve shoulder to shoulder with, and we can love the people we are serving and demonstrate to all that Jesus sees, and Jesus cares. (110)
Some quotes and notes:
The number one command in Scripture is
"fear not"; this is the thing God says more often than anything else. I think God says this more often than He says anything else because fear makes us self-focused and selfish. (21)
Often, when we are afraid, it is because we are more focused on the temporal realities than we are on our eternal citizenship. (22)
I've heard it said of some people that they are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good. But I'm not convinced of that. It is more likely that they are so religiously molded, they are no earthly or heavenly good. But true heavenly mindedness produces the most earthly good, because it makes us fearless in crisis, courageous for the Kingdom, and passionate for the cause of Christ. Paul is an unstoppable force for the Kingdom because of his singular heavenly mindedness. He labors for heaven; he lives for Jesus and His eternal kingdom. His focus is unmovable. His passion is unshakable. He has nothing to lose on earth; if they kill him, he gains heaven and gets to be with Jesus! If they let him live, He does more to advance the Kingdom so that many others can get to know Jesus. Either way, the Kingdom of Heaven benefits because of his focused, eternal mindset. (24)
The old timers used to talk about 'detachment.' They challenged us to detach from earthly things in order to more securely attach to the heavenly King and His Kingdom. This is what they understood: The problem with too much earthly attachment is that it robs us of our heavenly affection and our eternal effectiveness. Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). If I have my attachments and comforts in the here and now, my heavenly affection will be dulled. Earth bound attachment prevents us from making Jesus our first love. If we are going to have a pure, undivided love for Jesus, sifting is necessary. Crisis creates sifting; sifting creates unadulterated attachments to Jesus. (27-28)
Show me how a person handles a crisis and it will tell me a lot about the person's interior life. Crises reveal the cracks in the interior walls of our soul. Crises don't create inner problems; crises reveal inner problems. This is why crises are often a great opportunity to deal with our issues and experience transformation. (35)
Even if you are wrestling with some of the side effects of fear like irritability, anger, or control, you must deal with the disease, not the symptoms in order to gain the victory. We must go after the root, not the fruit. Fear is a primary emotion. (36)
—> the practical steps:
1. Take responsible action—do the first step; don’t let fear paralyze you
2. Hold onto and rely on God’s love. Knowledge of God’s love is not enough. We need to rely on God love through revelation of the Holy Spirit. “Hope would a deeply loved person act right now?”
3. Set our hearts on eternity. “Worry is a preoccupation with our problems; peace is a byproduct of our fixation on Jesus. We have to set our hearts on the eternal.”
4. Cling to the promises of God. “The promises of God have always seen the people of God through the most impossible circumstances in the most improbable ways.”
5. Deny ourselves. “Fear gets our eyes off of God and onto ourselves. Fear makes us self-focused and selfish; we become hoarders with a scarcity mindset, rather than generous givers with a sacrificial mindset like Jesus. We have to die to our fears. We have to die to our rights to have abundance, to have certain comforts. We have to die to our attachments to our earthly possessions and positions. Jesus called us into death, so He could give us life. Jesus didn't come to be served, but to give His life away as ransom. Jesus called us to follow Him on the way to the cross: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). I have discovered in my life that nearly every time I am miserable, I am making it too much about me.”
6. Face the worst with faith. What’s the worst that could happen? What’s so bad about that, and what are the blessings of that worst case scenario?
7. Face the worst with redemptive hope. Imagine how these dark times could be redeemed.
Hardship pierces the heart and makes us accessible to God in places that were once inaccessible. (57)
Get alone with God often during dark seasons
If we don't process our grief, our trust will
be diminished. We can't whitewash pain and heartache with pithy religious phrases or a memorized verse from the Bible. This is what a religious person does - they take a truth and put it on like an outer garment, but they fail to internalize it in their inner being so that it becomes part of their life. They have the right words, but religion is skin-deep. (64)
To prepare for silence before God:
1. Pray through your agenda and to-do list for the day (to offload it)
2. Ensure confessions are current
3. Pray through fears/anxieties
4. Meditate on the Word or worship
5. Be still (71)
Crises reveal cracks in our soul—dysfunctions, unhealed hurts, weak spots. So that’s an opportunity for us to become aware of those and grow. (76)
Often Churches are reluctant to join other organizations in our community as they attempt to address the needs around us. Rather than joining a local organization that feeds the homeless, they start their own homeless ministry. But this is no time to do everything on our own. This is a time to form partnerships, to come alongside others, to help coordinate efforts, and to join the cause in meeting needs. We can love the people we serve shoulder to shoulder with, and we can love the people we are serving and demonstrate to all that Jesus sees, and Jesus cares. (110)
October 30, 2024
Become more like Christ in bringing His Kingdom
Rob Reimer writes with wisdom, depth, and clarity. He challenges you to tap into the depths of Jesus. To become a real follower of Jesus and warrior of the Kingdom. He both encourages and inspires you to take the word of God seriously. This is a timely book, while focused on Covid, also for all seasons of suffering both in and around us. Read this to find out how to engage, love and impact your community for Christ!
Rob Reimer writes with wisdom, depth, and clarity. He challenges you to tap into the depths of Jesus. To become a real follower of Jesus and warrior of the Kingdom. He both encourages and inspires you to take the word of God seriously. This is a timely book, while focused on Covid, also for all seasons of suffering both in and around us. Read this to find out how to engage, love and impact your community for Christ!
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October 25, 2020In the midst of crisis Jesus hasn't forgotten us. He's making all things new
I chose this rating because this book truly helped me through this pandemic. I had to read it in little bits in order for it to grip my heart. I was even at the point of committing suicide because Covid- 19 took my spiritual Dad and I retreated into old patterns and strayed away from the Lord. This weekend I had the opportunity to go away and renew my relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I truly encountered the Three in One but most importantly I experienced the Father in such a way that I never experienced before. I would definitely recommend this book to my family and friends. Thank you Dr. Rob Reimer for allowing yourself to be used of God during these uncertain times. May you continue to be obedient to His calling on your life and may God quadruple you with every spiritual blessing from Heaven. This book has truly gripped my heart. Now I'm going back and rereading Soul Care and finishing with your newest book. Blessings in Christ, Nancy Maldonado
I chose this rating because this book truly helped me through this pandemic. I had to read it in little bits in order for it to grip my heart. I was even at the point of committing suicide because Covid- 19 took my spiritual Dad and I retreated into old patterns and strayed away from the Lord. This weekend I had the opportunity to go away and renew my relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I truly encountered the Three in One but most importantly I experienced the Father in such a way that I never experienced before. I would definitely recommend this book to my family and friends. Thank you Dr. Rob Reimer for allowing yourself to be used of God during these uncertain times. May you continue to be obedient to His calling on your life and may God quadruple you with every spiritual blessing from Heaven. This book has truly gripped my heart. Now I'm going back and rereading Soul Care and finishing with your newest book. Blessings in Christ, Nancy Maldonado
October 14, 2021
I love the message of this book and the clear reminders of biblical truths that are so necessary right now. The content is great! But I was distracted by the formatting and numerous typos.
Often section titles are at the bottom of the previous page. The book was obviously not professionally edited, or it was edited in a big hurry. For example, page 88: “God wants to redeem this crisis to allow in all of our lives so that we come more fully into alignment with him.” I get the point, but grammatically that makes no sense. With proper editing and formatting, I would be able to give this book 5 stars, but as it is I rate it at 4 stars.
Often section titles are at the bottom of the previous page. The book was obviously not professionally edited, or it was edited in a big hurry. For example, page 88: “God wants to redeem this crisis to allow in all of our lives so that we come more fully into alignment with him.” I get the point, but grammatically that makes no sense. With proper editing and formatting, I would be able to give this book 5 stars, but as it is I rate it at 4 stars.
December 12, 2024
another eyeopener from Reimer
I’ve read a few of this Man of God’s books over the years and this one touched my heart in a new way. Getting to understand grief in a light that is positive and necessary was amazing.
He talks in the book how he made a covenant with God to no longer take offense by anything God does. That God has proven Himself enough that he will no longer be offended by anything God does in his life. I found that to be extremely convicting in my life and it’s encouraged me to take a similar covenant with the Lord.
I hope this book blesses many people. It’s a necessary read.
I’ve read a few of this Man of God’s books over the years and this one touched my heart in a new way. Getting to understand grief in a light that is positive and necessary was amazing.
He talks in the book how he made a covenant with God to no longer take offense by anything God does. That God has proven Himself enough that he will no longer be offended by anything God does in his life. I found that to be extremely convicting in my life and it’s encouraged me to take a similar covenant with the Lord.
I hope this book blesses many people. It’s a necessary read.
August 15, 2023
A lot of good stuff. Also a lot of covid talk since he wrote it in 2020 which I didn't care to read about but he used it as an example of crisis.
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January 30, 2025Great reminder that God has a plan even in the midst of a pandemic. Well written with lots of biblical examples. Rob is a gifted writer and speaker. I listen to the audiobook which he read. This is a book I will read again!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews