Resilience Practice 1

Dear Family,

How often do you stop and pray when faced with stress? I often find myself trying to work out a solution first—spending hours strategizing, analyzing, and worrying. Even when I pray, it’s not always a prayer of rest and dependence. It’s more like, “Father, help ME figure this out.”

David’s example in 2 Samuel 5 is striking. He had just united the kingdom, taken Jerusalem, and was growing in power because the Lord was with him. When the Philistines mobilized to capture him, David didn’t rush to battle. He stopped and prayed: “Should I go out to fight? Will You hand them over to me?” His Father answered, “Yes.”

Later, when the Philistines returned, David prayed again. This time, the Father gave a different strategy—circle behind and wait for the sound of marching in the trees. What a picture: heaven’s armies moving ahead of David. And David followed, not his instincts, but the Father’s voice.

Title: Breathing Prayer and the Battle of Trust

Reading: 2 Samuel 5

Key Verse: 2 Samuel 5:19 — “So David asked the Lord, ‘Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?’ The Lord replied to David, ‘Yes, go ahead. I will certainly hand them over to you.’”

Scripture Insight:

David’s strength wasn’t in his army—it was in his dependence. He didn’t assume yesterday’s strategy would work today. He sought the Father again. And when victory came, he declared, “The Lord did it!” (v.20)

This kind of prayer—fervent, dependent, responsive—is what I long for. Not just desperate cries, but breath-by-breath communion.

Ancient Hebrew tradition saw the Father’s name (YHWH) as the sound of breath itself—inhale (YH), exhale (WH). Every breath becomes a prayer. Every sigh, gasp, or cry speaks His name.

Practice 1 in the book “Stress Less” uses the acronym STOP

• Stop what you’re doing.
• Take a breath. Pray as you breathe in: “Lord, show me what’s causing this stress.”
• Observe:
  • What’s causing me to feel stressed?
  • Is it triggering something deeper?
  • What story am I telling myself?
  • Does it align with truth?
• Pray as you breathe out: “You alone are my rock and salvation…” (Ps 62:2)

Application:

• Pray first—not just for solutions, but for surrender.
• Trust the Father’s strategy, even when it’s unfamiliar.
• Let every breath remind you of His presence.
• Declare, “The Lord did it,” when victory comes.

Prayer:

Lord, teach me to pause and breathe Your name. Help me seek You first—not just for answers, but for peace. Lead me in Your way, and let me rest in Your strength.

Reflection Questions:

• What stressful situation are you trying to solve on your own?
• Have you asked the Father—not just for help, but for direction?
• What story are you telling yourself about this moment?
• How can you turn your breath into prayer today?