Help! She’s Buried Alive by @JenniferOWhite

There it is again. A sacred echo from God directing my attention to something I need to understand. Lately, I’ve thought of people who are in great need of prayer as being buried alive. And I realize that I have been buried alive by the oppressive nature of sin and my freedom is a direct result of the power of prayer.

In the movie Double Jeopardy, Ashley Judd’s character becomes the victim of an evil scheme to keep her quiet. She meets her estranged husband at a cemetery in hopes of getting her son back and later wakes up inside a coffin. The scene is so intense. You can see her desperately searching for a way out.  Finally she remembers she has a gun. So she courageously shoots the hinges off the coffin, throws back the lid and escapes. Whew!

I’ve seen this movie and her great escape at least five times. But this time, I saw a woman find freedom from evil forces with a powerful weapon. I saw myself breaking free from a very real death trap because through prayer, God was invited to rescue me.

Jesus has been praying for me. Long before a counselor taught me how to apply God’s Word to my wounded heart, Jesus was asking God to help me live in His light. As my soul cried out with pain, the Holy Spirit of Jesus was interpreting my groans to God.

Spiritual forces of darkness have schemed for generations in hopes of keeping me quiet and destroying my good life. People have been used as pawns to open the door of my life to the destructive and smothering effects of sin. And at times, I have chosen to open the door. I was so ignorant of the consequences.

But there has always been a rescue mission with my name at the top of the file. The Good Shepherd of my soul is a promise keeper. He has moved heaven and earth to bring me home to Himself.


My Creator put the coffin destroying, death-defying weapon in my hand. He appointed Jesus to intercede for me. Miraculously, this Jesus and His Word are alive in me and in so many others. And when I haven’t known how to escape the heaviness, the hopelessness, He has prayed for me. He placed Himself in the lives of those around me to love me and pull the trigger of prayer for me.

I know prayer is this amazing life saving act that brings the triumphant power of God against the forces of evil. Today I am more aware that there are people who are truly buried alive by their sin as I have been. So why do I fail to pray? Why do I forget to pray? Why do I let twenty other tasks trump praying for people in need?

Lord, forgive me. You sent out the alert – pray at all times with purpose and perseverance (Ephesians 6:18). And I have talked about showing up to help more than I have actually assisted in your appointed rescue mission. Only you understand what keeps me from the work of prayer.

People all around me are buried alive in the coffin of sin. I want to become the warrior who does not give up until they are free. Fortify me with the resilience I need to persevere.

In Jesus, I pray.

Amen

Jennifer O. White is the author of Prayers for New Brides: Putting on God’s Armor After the Wedding Dress. With fierce honesty, she shares her own experience of one failed marriage and one rescued by the Wonderful Counselor. Praying God’s Word is her passion and she’s inviting all brides to guard their marriage with the Sword of His Spirit. You’ll find her blogging about prayer at jenniferowhite.com.