For the last fifteen years, I’ve served as a volunteer firefighter in our community, working alongside our professional crew whenever a call came out and help was needed. Fortunately, we don’t get too many serious calls here, so the majority of my time as a volunteer is invested in our weekly training. When actual fire fighting opportunities are limited, the regular training becomes even more valuable, as certain procedures, behaviors, and skills will otherwise fade into the background, making them more difficult to recall when the true moment of need suddenly appears. When certain critical actions require steps that are contrary to human nature, this becomes increasingly important.
Humans have built-in instincts and reflexes that cause us to act without thinking. For those who have trained to fight fire, the instinct is to rush directly into a dangerous situation to minimize the threat to life and property. However, part of the training is to resist that instinct and first take the time to assess the broader context, looking for other hazards and conditions that could turn a rescue opportunity into a tragic outcome. When adrenaline is pumping and everything in your body is screaming “go as fast as you can,” the proper response is to slow down, breathe, and review the larger picture. Somebody can tell you that this is how you should respond, but only with training do you get to understand how to overcome the natural reflex. Failure to overcome that instinct could mean failure to learn some key piece of information that could have kept you alive.
Too often we find ourselves faced with situations that we instinctively feel like we need to rush into. Everything within us is screaming for some rapid action, lunging boldly into the fray, yet there are almost always two key points that apply at that very moment. First, very rarely do we actually need to respond instantly, so taking a moment or two to review the situation won’t cause any harm. Second, additional information that is gathered during that pause tends to create a better response plan.
This is why it is important to train ourselves to be people who pray. Like firefighter training, we have to learn to overcome the instinct to do what would come naturally, and pause so that we respond in a better fashion. As we pray, we allow for vital information to enter into the decision-making process, allowing the Holy Spirit to direct our minds to things that we should take into consideration. It might be an important verse of Scripture, or it might be some past experience that is relevant. It might even be the simple suggestion to not respond at all.
Kipling once wrote a poem about the importance of being able to keep your head while those around you are losing theirs. That is what prayer can do for you – allowing you to be the one who responds thoughtfully instead of thoughtlessly, according to God’s plan as opposed to your own. But it only happens if you train yourself to pause and pray.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron