Today's Daily Bread
Panic Or Pray?
An 85-year-old woman, all alone in a convent, got trapped inside an
elevator for 4 nights and 3 days. Fortunately, she had a jar of water,
some celery sticks, and a few cough drops. After she tried
unsuccessfully to open the elevator doors and get a cell phone signal,
she decided to turn to God in prayer. “It was either panic or pray,” she
later told CNN. In her distress, she relied on God and waited till she
was rescued.
Asa was also faced with the options of panic or pray (2 Chron. 14).
He was attacked by an Ethiopian army of a million men. But as he faced
this huge fighting force, instead of relying on military strategy or
cowering in dread, he turned to the Lord in urgent prayer. In a powerful
and humble prayer, Asa confessed his total dependence on Him, asked for
help, and appealed to the Lord to protect His own name: “Help us, O Lord
our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this
multitude” (v.11). The Lord responded to Asa’s prayer, and he won the
victory over the Ethiopian army.
When we are faced with tight spots, meager resources, a vast army of
problems, or seemingly dead-end solutions, let’s not panic but instead
turn to God who fights for His people and gives them victory.
In my distress, anxiety, and fear, Lord, teach
me to rely on You and draw close to You. Then I
know I’ll be able to stand strong in Your power
and won’t be dependent on my own strength.
me to rely on You and draw close to You. Then I
know I’ll be able to stand strong in Your power
and won’t be dependent on my own strength.
Prayer is the bridge between panic and peace.
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