First Responder

When you think of first responder what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it gratitude for the EMT's? Is it compassion for the Officers who put their lives on the line? What about the dedication of the Firemen who barrel themselves boldly into a burning building? Does the thought of the nurses who pulled a double shift and are still taking a moment to hug you as you cry come to mind?

As the wife of an Officer, my thoughts of First Responders and the respect I have for them may be different then those not familiar with the task and the burden accompanied with it. But are YOU a first responder?

Recently I have been studying through the book of Nehemiah. (If you need a good study guide, I suggest Michelle Randall from Calvary Chapel- it's a few years old, but just what God wanted me to have.) Within the breadcrumbs and even in the feasting on His word- Michelle had coined a term regarding being a first responder.

Is your first response to turn to prayer or is it to lash out harshly, isolate, or ignore your situations entirely? Do you take up arms?

A recurring theme within the pages of Nehemiah is that he turns immediately to prayer. "So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of Heaven." (Nehemiah 1:4)

Not only does he pray continually as his first response, but he also mourned, fasted, and wept for those he had never even met. For those whose struggle he knew by the burden on his heart were great. Nehemiah also WAITS on the Lord. His decisions are calculated and steady- NOT barging ahead without the patience to slow down and wait. He does not go back on his word, and he offers a consistency in his leadership that leaves his people trusting him.

Is your first response to slow down and pray? are you a first responder? In all things we are called to "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is the will of God Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Nehemiah shows what it truly means to be a first responder and exceptional leader:

1. To open our hearts to the burdens God puts on them and embrace them without fear.

2. Fall down in prayer and fasting as our first response.

3. Wait on God to give us an answer/help us formulate a plan (Nehemiah waited FOUR months in prayer for God to assist him!) Always remember- Gods timing is best.

4. Takes responsibility for the faults of his people and adds himself in with those faults asking for forgiveness.

5. Execute the task at hand with BOLDNESS and CONFIDENCE because GOD is behind you in all you do.

6. Gives thanks, celebration, and praise the one who actually accomplished it!

With God at his center and prayer as his first response- Nehemiah completed the wall DESPITE severe opposition from the enemy by GOD alone in 52 days!

How often are you falling to your knees in prayer? In mourning for what others are going through? How often has God put a burden on your heart you ignore? We have been conditioned in this world so consistently to be dependent on ourselves that we just forge ahead and forget to slowdown. We live in a QUICK, INSTANT world to the point we negate the stability that comes from just WAITING and showing not only grace but patience.

If you struggle like I do, let me be the barer of GOOD news. God knows our challenges. He formed you and knew your weaknesses, iniquities, and faults you would have. He knows the neuro pathways that have formed through our lives. The transmitters and first responses we go to based on experience, trauma, core memories etc. The good news is, we have a GREAT I AM who can help us to form NEW neuro pathways that focus on Him. That smooth out a bumpy pathway that always ends somehow in disaster to a smooth pathway of PRAYER and SUBMISSION.

God wants us to prosper, with our eyes on Him and what He does! Nothing is impossible with Elohim at our center. But how? You have to spend time with Him. We don't just start thinking about someone when we wake up, or through the day because we passed them on the street. We start thinking and developing feelings, connecting, and building a relationship because we put the effort in to get to know them.

Spend time in prayer, in your Bible, in research, in asking- and watch your FIRST RESPONSE begin to change- instead of emotions going wild, watch your first response be silence, a quiet demeanor, and turning to Prayer and waiting. God is your great defender- it's time to start showing Him that He IS also your LORD.