Middle East Fuel Crisis: What Can We Do?

These past months have been filled with negative news about the Middle East crisis. Supply chains are disrupted, investor sentiments are shaken, and fuel prices are soaring.

In Malaysia, we’re wondering: how long can our government fuel subsidy last? Is inflation already on the rise? What’s going to happen to my retirement savings? Is this the beginning of World War 3? What about the holidays I’ve booked for the rest of 2026? All these questions are causing much anxiety…

Where does anxiety come from?

When we feel anxious, let’s firstly take a step back. Think: Why am I anxious? If the answer is because of political uncertainty, then we’re doomed to be anxious forever! That’s because we live in a broken, imperfect world that’s tainted by sin, destined to decay and crumble.

Once we’ve established this fact, we’ll understand that anxiety originates on the “inside” (ie. our beliefs, thoughts and emotions) and not from the “outside” (external circumstances). You’ll observe that different people react differently to the same environment – meaning that our environment is not the real cause of anxiety.

Time to be honest and search our hearts

So, what is the real cause? It’s the fact that we’ve relied on people and material things for our sense of support, security and peace – and now the people and materials have become unreliable.

Anxious people everywhere (including myself), let’s search our hearts: What have I been relying on to support me? Who has been my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my shield, my stronghold? We’ll find that the true answer is far from who or what David sang about in Psalm 18:2.

It turns out that what keeps me sleeping peacefully every night is my bank account, the rosy stock market, my high-paying job, expert opinions, my experience and judgement, my youth and health, my carefully-planned future, my capable and reliable spouse, my gifted children, and my just government—in short, not God.

Perhaps we haven’t completely abandoned God; but we feel that relying solely on Him is too risky. We need a stronger safety net to calculate, control, and eliminate risks and uncertainties. It turns out that in our everyday successes, many things have quietly occupied the throne that rightfully belongs to God, allowing us to enjoy a false sense of security.

Now these imposters and counterfeits (a.k.a. idols) “have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see, ears but cannot hear…” according to Psalm 115:5-7. In other words, anxiety comes from establishing our sense of security in anything or anyone other than God.

What should I believe in?

The Bible declares clearly from the outset: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Only God exists without beginning or end, independent of anything, and will exist forever. Do you believe that this God can help you in times of turmoil and be your refuge?

Yes, He can! He is the Almighty and Sovereign Lord, who sees (Proverbs 15:3) and governs every day of the future even before the creation of the world. With Him there are no accidents, miscalculations, loss of control, or failures. He can shake the entire universe, yet He is not shaken by anything within it.

Though He is high above, He is not like a powerful leader who disregards the well-being of His people for personal gain. On the contrary, He is willing to “kneel down” and approach us, even sacrificing His only Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from sin (John 3:16). Even when we were hostile to Him, He already loved us (Romans 5:10). Therefore, we can be 100% certain that He will care for us.

What should I do?

Getting rid of anxiety and moving towards true peace begins with returning to God. First, ask Him to forgive our sin of having relied on idols. He is faithful and will forgive if we confess our sins (1 John 1:9). Ask the Holy Spirit to help us return the throne of our lives to the one true God, and resolve to rely solely on Him, for only He is worthy!

Secondly, with the overwhelming flood of negative news, we can practise speaking to our hearts with God’s Word. Through a daily life of consistent Bible reading and prayer, God’s Word will renew our minds. Instead of trying to analyse Trump’s tweets, meditate instead on God’s Word. The Holy Spirit will work in our hearts through Scripture, and you’ll see that God is far greater than your worries!

Thirdly, Christians must not allow ourselves to be alone! Two are better than one (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). A healthy and consistent church fellowship is an important channel through which Christians give and receive grace. The church is our best support system, helping us to connect with one another and with Christ.

Fourth and lastly, we must acknowledge that all resources belong to God and that we’re merely stewards. A steward’s job is to allocate resources according to the master’s will. So before we feel the full pinch of the Middle East fuel crisis, let’s start to re-examine our desires and question whether our definition of “enough” aligns with God’s will.

Paul wrote: “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Timothy 6:8). Greed, the pursuit of comfort, herd mentality, and unrestrained “wants” often cause us much suffering and lead us into temptation (v.9-10).

After examining our desires, we’ll find that we don’t actually need much, and we can obtain “the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12-13) through the power of the Holy Spirit.

“The Lord sits enthroned over the flood” (Psalm 29:10). Come, let’s rely on Him alone!

Original article in Mandarin here.

About the Author

Joan Tan See Ee is a mother of one and currently serves alongside her husband at Kepong Maluri Gospel Church. She is also a graduate of China Reformed Theological Seminary (CRTS) in Taiwan.

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