For Emergency Use Only!

I read a story of a missionary and his wife that was serving in New Hebrides Islands, that had an astounding experience with prayer.
One night, some years ago, they found their mission headquarters surrounded by hostile tribespeople. The islanders carried torches, and their plan was to burn down the headquarters with the missionaries in it. The couple prayed to God throughout the night. At dawn, they looked outside and saw the tribespeople had gone. Surprised but grateful, they went to their knees and thanked God for their mysterious deliverance.
Sometime later the chief was converted to faith in Jesus Christ. The missionary couple asked the new christian about that night, when he and his people had come to burn down the headquarters. "Why didn't you kill us that night?"
"We tried to," said the chief,"but we couldn't. The men who guarded your house would not let us near." The missionary said, "What men? we had no men guarding our house. There was no one in or around our house but my wife and me."
"We know what we saw," said the chief. " We saw warriors standing guard--tall men in shining robes, with fiery swords in their hands. When we tried to attack, they held us off. They surrounded the mission house so we could not get to it."
So the missionaries have very good reason to believe in God, in Angels, and in the power of prayer--especially in an emergency!

Unfortunately, a lot of people think prayer is only for emergencies. They operate by saying" If all else fails--Pray." If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that this has been our attitudes many times. When everything is going well, when we are successful and comfortable, when the road ahead is smooth, we think, "I'm doing fine all by myself. Who needs God?" Oh, we would never express such a thought out loud, but that is what our self-sufficient attitude really comes down to.
Then trouble strikes--whatever it may be, illness, financial, stressful time on the job. Suddenly we are intesely aware of our inadequacy and our need. Suddenly we are ready for prayer. Why do we so often wait for troubles to strike before we go to God in prayer? Why do we so often think of prayer as "For Emergency Use Only?"

PaulP