In The Face Of Fire

In extreme moments of stress, where do you naturally run?

When I think back to stressful, pivotal moments in my life, I’m amazed by how quickly they reveal our true instincts. This past Halloween, there was a fire in my neighborhood. A large tree at the end of my street caught fire and the whole neighborhood was aglow with the ominous light of the flames. Thankfully, everyone was okay and there was no structural damage, but I remember thinking what a fascinating way to learn about human psychology. In that moment of panic, neighbors had a variety of responses.

Some ran around, faces still painted from their Halloween fun, shouting hysterically, but not making much sense. Some stood safely on their porches, watching from far away. Some took action, calling 911, running door to door, and alerting those who were closest to the flames. And of course, it’s the 21st century, so we can’t forget about the dozens of people who were glued to their phone screens, filming the entire thing for the world to see.

In the scariest moments, our truest desires are revealed.

On that night, some most desired safety, so they sheltered in their homes with their families. Some wanted to help, grabbing garden hoses and knocking on doors. And others… well, they just wanted their Facebook friends to be in the loop :)

It’s easy to look back on the moments that turned out fine and laugh about our silly responses. It’s harder to look back on the moments that really hurt. The moments where we wish we would have acted differently. The moments where we were too harsh in the face of fear, where we got lost in our emotions instead of taking action. The moments where, on our darkest day, we chose our flesh over our faith.

I wish I could tell you every “fight or flight” moment in my life was a testimony of strong faith. I wish, in every moment where I was scared out of my mind, watching the neighborhood burn, I chose the godly way. But if I told you that, I’d be lying through my teeth. So often, those fight or flight moments were the times where my flesh was truly revealed.

Jesus had some “the neighborhood is burning down” moments in His time here on Earth. One of the most prime examples was His time praying in the Garden of Gethsemane shortly before He was arrested and then crucified. Let’s read together:

36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” … 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.

- Matthew 36-44

Jesus knows His time is coming to an end. Jesus knows He’s about to experience the agony of bearing the weight of all of the sin of humanity. Jesus is looking out His front door and watching the trees burn on Halloween night. Fill in the blank of your worst nightmare moment - Jesus is experiencing that terror tenfold. And He turns to the Father. He pleads with God three times.

It’s amazing to me that He turns to prayer. I know there are times in my life when trying to silence the chaos of my mind enough to pray seems impossible. But, what’s most incredible to me are the words Jesus says over and over: “Not as I will, but as You will.” Jesus asks the Father to change His circumstances, but at the end of that plea, He says, “But Your will be done, over mine.” AND, He means it!

How often do we ask God for something and tag on, “If it’s in Your will,” without truly meaning it? Our prayers are conditional, and if God doesn’t behave according to our requests, our faith is shaken. At Jesus’ “fight or flight” moment, He surrenders everything to the Father, and He trusts His plan. He is so confident in the goodness of His God that He won’t question Him even in the worst storm.

We can learn from this example of unshakeable faith. When we are in our scariest moment, when we don’t know how we will make it through the job loss, divorce, grief, diagnosis, or life-or-death circumstance, we can follow Jesus’ example.

But to truly trust Him, we must first be so convinced of His goodness that not even the biggest fire could burn us out.

So start today. Even if everything is going great, now is the time when we get to prepare for those fight or flight moments. Let’s pursue our God so deeply, let’s get to know Him so intimately, that when our worst day comes, our only response will be to trust Him.

Keep praying, friend, keep trusting. Let’s seek Him above all.

Cristina Schmitter

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