Default Response: Panic or Pray?
Much as I hate to admit it, my default response to certain crisis situations is panic rather than prayer. The enemy, first and foremost, is a liar and a deceiver ~ and he wields his weapons well. He also understands me well enough to know exactly what my weak links are and, therefore, attacks accordingly. He is relentless, cunning, specific and deliberate.
Expertly utilizing his ability to deceive, the Father of Lies convinces me that a given situation is hopeless. When I descend into fearfulness, he’s got me exactly where he wants me.
When I finally come to my God-given senses and realize that the enemy is poking this bear, I briefly scold myself for allowing panic and fear to take hold of me once again, and then I immediately go to prayer ~ all-out, battle-ready, don’t-mess-with-this-sister PRAYER.
You’d think after 25-plus years of walking with the Lord I’d have adjusted my default
response and conquered this by now, but I sometimes fail to realize the profound power I have in prayer! Even after experiencing a multitude of miracles, I sometimes still default to panic, praying as a last resort rather than a first response. How foolish I am! When I allow fear to take hold, I effectively allow Satan to disable my connection with the Holy Spirit, temporarily deactivating the power I have through prayer.
Very early in our marriage, we faced our share of adjustments and challenges. Had it not been for the Lord’s intervention, and sincere crying-out to Him in prayer, our union may very well have dissolved. In His great mercy, He allows crisis to come to us as a way of drawing us to Him. Through this, He strengthens us, builds our tenacity, and grants us a deeper level of intimacy with Him as well as with our spouse.
When crisis comes ~ and it will come ~ stand up to the enemy by going immediately to the Lord in prayer. Then, expect to see incredible, miraculous results as God moves in ways you could never begin to imagine or understand!
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“Now all glory to God, Who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
~ Ephesians 3:20