When Weakness is an Asset

 We all have different responses to crisis. Some of us freeze, like myself, and start crying. Everyone has their own unique response. Rarely, our reaction is to trust, stop and pray, at least that's not my typical reaction. Now don't get me wrong, action is needed and I am thankful for all of the helping hands around us.  :)   But how does God respond to our crisis?

 "Remain calm; the LORD will fight for you." Exodus 14:14
 "He is my defender; I will not be defeated." Psalm 62:6
  "Is any of you in trouble? He should pray." James 5:13

 About 48 hours ago I was on the verge of a crisis. I had no idea it was coming of course, but this is what I have learned since then.  
When we are in crisis, God is fighting for us and the Holy Spirit is comforting us.

Two days ago my husband was covered in hives, having an allergic reaction to something unknown. He's never had one this severe before. We've never fought this battle before. His body was slowly shutting down, his blood pressure was dropping, he was experiencing anaphylaxis shock. As the ambulance wheeled him away and my adrenaline was pumping through my body my only prayer as I was driving to the hospital was, "Jesus, help me calm down." I hate the affects of adrenaline. Shaking, cold sweats, erratic thinking. We have this response as humans as instinct to protect ourselves from predators. My body was responding normally, but how many of us know how hard it is to pray when you are surging on adrenaline? Well, I may have gotten 3 words of that short simple hail Mary prayer right.
 Jesus - the source of all of our help, our comforter and strength in times of need
help - I recognized I was weak and not in control of the situation
calm - something in my spirit understood God works on our behalf and adrenaline was getting me nowhere

 Coincidentally, (except that I don't really believe in coincidences) I had been reading a book by Max Lucado titled, When God Whispers Your Name. The next chapter on my list yet to read was, The God Who Fights For You. (What, did you think I came up with this idea on my own? wink, wink)
 Mr. Max poses this question, "what is God doing when you are in a bind?" He gives 3 examples from the Bible. The first is when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt by crossing the Red Sea. The second is when Moses and the people fought the Amalekites. In both situations, Moses stopped what he was doing and prayed. The last example is when King Jehoshaphat was fighting the Moabites, Ammonites and Meunites all at the same time. The whole nation went on a fast and prayed and received a word from the Lord that said to "stand still and you will see the Lord save you."

Yesterday, as I was talking to my Grandma on the phone, she reminded me that when we are weak, He is strong and it clicked. American culture values strength and independence. Not me, not anymore. I choose to believe God on this issue. If there's anyone I want on my team, it's Him!
So as my husband continues to have daily allergic reactions, my hope is that I remain calm and pray.

"Give me faith to trust what you say.
 That you're good and your love is great.
 I'm broken inside, I give you my life.
 I may be weak, but your Spirit is strong in me.
 My flesh may fail, but my God you never will."

 Give Me Faith from the Elevation Worship- for the honor

Update 01FEB12: The allergen that caused the anaphylaxis shock was pineapple. My husband had a skin test done and his allergens are numerous. Egg whites, soy, milk, yeast, all nuts, tropical fruits, oranges, all outdoor weeds, trees and grasses are the positive reactors thus far. Please pray for God's divine healing.