Don't break the communication pathway

When trouble surrounded me, I cried out to the Eternal; He answered me and brought me to a wide, open space. The Eternal is with me, so I will not be afraid of anything. If God is on my side, how can anyone hurt me? (Psalm 118:5-6 VOICE)

Too many times we think "IF trouble ever surrounds me, then I will cry out...", but in reality, it is "WHEN trouble does surround me, I better be crying out!"  A lot of times we think we won't have those troubles someone else has, but we certainly will have troubles all our own. They may not be identical to what someone else is going through, but they will come - opposition will soon wage an attack and we had better stand ready! Soldiers will tell you the hardest time to withstand an attack is when you are just finished with the one that just came and is finally over. You are exhausted, with all too real memories still in the forefront of your brain of all the awful stuff you've just come through. Trust me on this one - the enemy of our souls knows the best time to get us down is when we are already exhausted by one battle!

When we are under attack, we cry out. When we anticipate attack, what is our tact then? It should also be to cry out! David described his enemies "surrounding him" - they were gathering their troops and getting "in position" for the attack. They were trying to structure their attack so there would be no way of escape and when we will be too tired or frustrated or weighted down with burdens to actually mount a defense. The time to cry out is not just when under attack, but when we know we are subject to attack because we might not be able to recognize all the ways the enemy is preparing for the attack!

What the enemy counts on as the attack is being mounted is that there will be no place of escape for us. Crying out for God's help isn't a sign of weakness - it is a sign of dependence upon the strategies of the one who sees it all and knows the specific route of escape! I think one of the most common reasons we don't do so well in the attack is that we don't seek a way of escape until we are so far into the battle that we are just about to succumb to the attack. The one successful in navigating the attack is the one who has rallied the troops - readied their defenses - and no greater defense exists than to lean into Jesus.

A word of practical advice here - your most powerful weapon is your reliance upon Jesus. The moment we cry out - he hears. In warfare, troops are connected to each other through various communication channels such as two-way radios of old and more immediate connections over satellite transmissions today. We do more "strategically" in our warfare via communication. The pathway to communication is the one point the enemy will most want to target because he knows if that goes down or is interrupted, then we often stand alone. Guard well the pathway to communication during the times of battle - your greatest opportunity for guidance and reinforced strength is via those pathways! Just sayin!