Years ago when my children were all still living at home, I decided I wanted to ride my bike to some local places and be able to lock it up when I went inside. So, I purchased a bike lock…this one you see here.

 

My kids thought it was funny that I got one that had letters rather than numbers. I hate dealing with numbers. I’m an alphabet sort of person.

Right away Jordan said, “Mom, it was stupid to buy that. Somebody’s going to figure out your combination right away…”

“Why would they figure that out any more than a number combination?” I countered.

“They just will…” 

“Oh, nobody’s going to figure that out.”

“They will if they know you…” 

“I don’t believe you,” 

“Give me that lock! I’ll show you!”

I gave it to him and sure enough in less than a minute, he opened it.

“Mom, I know you. Of course you’re going to pick pray!”

We had a good laugh.

I told him I thought it would still be okay for me to use because it is highly unlikely a stranger on the street would know that I chose pray.

Is prayer the first thing you think of? Or it is your last resort, or somewhere in the middle?

One of the great things about God is, He doesn’t need a Plan B.

He doesn’t need a back up plan.

He IS the plan.

But the question is…is He my first plan when I’m facing trouble? Is He your first plan?

In our moments of fear, it’s tempting to react by scrambling for solutions—calling friends, Googling for answers, or spiraling into anxiety. Sadly, for many of us, prayer becomes the last thing we try rather than the first place we turn.

But what if prayer was never meant to be the backup plan? What if it was designed to be the first response, the frontline defense, the starting point of peace and power?

Prayer aligns you with God’s wisdom

You need more than human reasoning. You need the very wisdom of God.

Have you ever been counseled to respond instead of react? This is something I was advised to remember to do, years ago. I used to be an expert at quickly reacting. Let’s say I got an email that made me feel defensive or angry…I’d quickly rattle off a retort at 130 words a minute. (Yes I really do type that fast…my husband says it sounds like a group of mice running. Not that we’ve ever had mice running through our house or anything…) The majority of the time, I would deeply regret what I just sent to the other person. I can’t say I’ve ever done anything wise or helpful by reacting.

The first moments of a crisis can send us into a tizzy and cloud our judgment. Emotions run high. We act out of fear, frustration, or pride. But prayer slows us down and centers us in God’s presence. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

When you pray first, you’re not reacting—you’re aligning. You’re asking the One who sees the end from the beginning to guide your next step.

 

Prayer is an invitation

 

Some of the trials you face are not random things that happen in life. They are literal  battles being fought in the spirit world. And with those kind of battles, they can’t be won with human strategy and witty ideas…you need divine intervention. What you are facing is not merely physical or emotional…it’s spiritual war.

Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers.” You don’t just need to regain your strength. You need all of heaven working for you. You need the army of God to rise up and fight on your behalf.

It is comforting to know that God is not watching from a distance, as the old song by Bette Midler says. The song has nice lyrics but they are entirely untrue. God is actually a present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). He gets up close, but He does it by invitation. Prayer is how you invite Him to come closer, and to move. What are you waiting for?

Prayer prevents panic

I struggle with catastrophizing at times. It’s getting better, but I always have to be on guard against it. In case you don’t know what that is, it’s when you anticipate the worst possible outcomes in situations, even when there is sometimes little evidence to support your fear.

For example, when my kids were young…elementary school age– if one of them misbehaved as children often do— say they told a lie about having their homework done when they really didn’t, or they got into the snacks before dinner when they were told not to, or I had a call from a teacher that they acted up at school, I would have a terrible thought such as, “Oh my word…what if they continue in this behavior and I can’t get it under control, and they end up as adults in PRISON?!!” (Sigh.) Yes, I would really have a crazy thought like that at times. And, actually… all three of my adult children are amazing humans, and completely law-abiding citizens who make me proud every day. The furthest place any of them would ever land is in prison, but I would have a panicked thought like this when something negative, yet small, happened.

And continuing to keep it real, in addition to prayer, I have had therapy for this, and it’s a good thing that I have.

Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” The result? “And the peace of God… will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Prayer doesn’t always change your situation instantly—but it does change you. When you pray first, peace becomes your posture, not panic. I have learned that I have to take every worry and immediately turn it into a prayer.

If I could wind the clock back a few decades and parent my children over again, the second I got a vision of them as adults in prison, I would begin to say, “God, I thank you that my children know and serve you, and they are going to do so all the days of their life…and I praise you that will grow up to be men and a woman of God who love your law, and follow after you with integrity always, and I give you glory that you are working in their lives now and forever, and yada yada yada…”

There’s a better way! It’s turning to prayer every day, all day.

It really IS possible to pray without ceasing.  (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

People ask, “How? How is that possible?  I have a job…”

Well, so do I. The way you do it is, you pray in your head, all day long.

When I am dealing with things during my day, I talk to the Lord in my mind about how to deal with them, what decision to make, what step to take. He helps me in every conversation that I have and every choice I make. It works!

God doesn’t need a Plan B and neither do you!  It’s always the first line of defense, and many times it’s the only one you need.