I once confronted a scary situation with an unusual weapon. While I student taught, I lived with four female friends in a three-bedroom apartment. (That’s not the scary situation.)  A bit naïve, we didn’t choose the safest neighborhood in the city far away from our rural, Christian college campus.

One night, a week before Christmas, we were lounging in the living room after returning from a movie when someone delivered three crashing blows to our door.  We froze and stared at each other, and an unspoken question hung in the air: Who would visit five student teachers at 10:30 p.m. on a weeknight without calling first?

Bang, bang, bang. Silence. Bang, bang, bang. Silence. This pattern continued for twenty minutes, and it never occurred to us to answer the door.

Instead, my friends took action and called the police, and I sat motionless, hands gripping the arms of our blue recliner by the fireplace. My survival instincts told me I might have a chance of growing old and gray if I avoided our battered door.

Thump, thump, thump.

I shot out of the chair and grabbed a ceramic stable that was a part of the nativity scene displayed on our mantle.

“I have…a weapon!”I said as I hoisted it above my head.

My announcement garnered strange looks from my friends, but I felt braver. After all, I figured God would bless a weapon that represented the birthplace of his Son.

That’s when I finally remembered another weapon in my arsenal – prayer. I made a quick petition for our safety.

My response demonstrates how it is easy to forget prayer is the best weapon when we face frightening circumstances. Ephesians 6:18 tells us, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” In Philippians 4:6 we are reminded, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

So, how did this story end? God was faithful and answered my prayer. Thirty minutes later a policeman arrived and ascertained our neighbor wanted to tell us we’d left a car door open when we’d returned home. However, the police officer was glad to hear we were moving out in a few days.

Though my friends and I were never in as much danger as we believed, I learned choosing the best weapon makes a difference.