Leave the Panic Room

There was a movie that came out in 2002, called The Panic Room, starring Jodie Foster, and the story line is about a woman and her daughter experiencing a home invasion, and how they retreated to a panic room in their home for protection. We have seen horrific headlines about home invasions that resulted in devastating tragedies.  One could wonder if a panic room could have prevented some of those disastrous results?

A panic room, in real life, is a secure place to retreat to in time of a real or perceived imminent threat. It is a fortified space, constructed to withstand extreme force. Storms, like hurricanes, tornadoes would be a reason to construct a panic room. There are other dangers one might want to escape, like biological, or atomic attacks and, home invasions. These spaces are designed to accommodate the occupant/occupants for an extended period of time with food, air, communication, and what ever other life preserving resources necessary while keeping them safe from harm. The bottom line is this is a place to head for if you feel endangered.

I was thinking about how a recent encounter with someone pushed me into a place of withdrawal. It was a very uncomfortable and in a way, threatening confrontation,with no way, in my mind to escape emotional harm. I knew this was an occasion where things could escalate and do damage, so I retreated to my inner panic room and bolted the door. My face was looking at them, my body was present, but I was really removed from the conflict. Or so I told myself, but then I heard the familiar voice saying, ‘What are you doing in here?’

I want to consider, briefly, how we can live our everyday life as though we are in a panic room. There are so many dangers in our world; physical as well as emotional, spiritual and mental. It can be easy to slip into a place removed or detached from the situations we are faced with daily.  We can retreat in a moment of conflict, emotionally, and close a door behind us. That may be safe for the moment, but we should not remain there. The danger is in continually retreating and closing doors as we back away from life’s demanding situations. Soon you are so far into the panic room, you cannot hear or see what is outside.

Or, we could be like Batman in his Batmobile.  Once he enters the vehicle, he commands, Shields, and the armor plated shields surround the car, and now, he is impervious to attack.  He is able to navigate dangerous situations without fear of being harmed. But, in the natural, we cannot live like this.

We all know that our ability or power to defend ourselves is not exhaustive. Even physical power is limited, contrary to what the movies tell us.  The only real Super hero in our lives is God. The Bible tells us that He is all powerful, all knowing and everywhere present at all times. He has said in scripture that He will keep us in perfect peace if our mind is fixed on Him (Isa 26:3 NKJV)

He also said that when our ways please Him, He makes our enemies to be at peace with us (Prov 16:7 KJV) There are so many scriptures about God’s protection, that I can’t address them all in this piece. However, for me, the ultimate prayer or scripture for protection is Psalms 91.  He that dwells in the secret place… This scripture covers everything concerning the safety of my family, myself, all that concerns me with God’s protection, and offers me many promises of safety.  This is a scripture to keep by your bedside. It is more powerful than a 357 Magnum. It is not something to pull out in a panic, while trying to learn how to use it.  You wouldn’t do that with a natural weapon, you would want to train, to become proficient.

God’s Word is a valuable resource to turn to daily.  When we take in God’s Word on a daily basis, it begins to live on the inside of us. Once the Word is alive in your spirit, there is no force that can withstand it.  Keep God’s word in your heart and in your mouth. It has the power of life.