Do You Have Your Own First Responder?

Early response in an emergency is important. The earlier the response the better. That’s why we venerate our first responders and respect them so much.
  
I was thinking today about the application between faith and first responders and realized that God wants to be our very own first responder on call 24/7, 365 days a year…FOREVER.
  
All we have to do is call his private 911 line!
  
But here’s the catch: He wants us to do it IMMEDIATELY, in the early moments of our pain or problem or challenge or opportunity. In the initial stage of our need. In the now, real-time…every time.
  
Why immediately? Because waiting to make that call and trying to “get through” on our own is trying to play God…and it’s wrong. I know from experience that it is tempting to think in the moment something like this: “I can handle this…besides, it’s already out of control and headed for a bad ending. It’s too late for God to change anything.”
  
I did it that way as a stressed-out CEO chasing money and success. It does not work.
  
GOD IS MY FIRST RESPONDER
  
When we call on God as our first responder, and do it EARLY, it helps us rely on him completely and move forward in obedient trust. Watching God arrive on the scene early like this reminds us that there is nothing too hard for him and his power.
  
But we don’t just roll over and play dead after we call his emergency hotline. We need to do our part in the process and PRAY. Pray for wisdom. Pray for discernment. Pray for direction. Then we can come back to the situation at hand ready to take action and fight through it with the Lord’s power, not ours.
  
Doing it this way allows us to stop worrying about all of the circumstances and scenarios and possibilities in our midst and, instead, focus on the opportunity for spiritual growth. Yes, GROWTH. The key is STARTING with God’s end-state promise of victory through Christ. That’s why he wants us to immediately fast-forward to the trial’s END and think about how he will use it to grow our faith and glorify him. It is a matter of taking our eyes off the problem and looking to God’s ultimate and infinite power…EARLY!
  
We need to believe God with a CAPITAL B that his promise will indeed keep us safe from all harm and watch over our life as our very own first responder.
  
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5
  
For me, I ask God every day to help me go to him early as challenges surface to get them out of my feeble hands and into his all-powerful grip. I ask for the faith to trust him completely in the early stages when things look so bleak. I ask for his divine intervention and touch.
  
How about you? Is God your first responder?