A dangerous job: Prayer as God’s armor, Part 1
One of the more interesting/quirky/dangerous jobs I’ve had was being a First Assistant Director. That’s “1st AD” in cool film set lingo. This cool film was in the ultra-low-budget category; therefore, many of us wore multiple hats. For example, the director was also the writer, casting director, and executive producer. For this story, I’ll change his real name to “Robert.”
My hats? First AD, 2nd AD, substitute script supervisor when our regular script supervisor was busy doing makeup… oh, and I was also boxing referee.
Did you catch that I described this job as “one of the more dangerous”?
Because one day, armed with only my trusty 1st AD walkie-talkie, I almost got my block knocked off.
Boy, did I need prayer as well.
Walkie-Talkies on a film set
You may have used toy walkie-talkies as a kid – pretending with a friend to be soldiers or police officers, or communicating between sleeping bags at a slumber party. And you may even use serious walkie-talkies in adulthood – as a real soldier or police officer, or communicating while camping. (Or glamping. I’ll be transparent about my preference, which is glamping).
On a film set, walkie-talkies are a must for instant communication between department heads. “We’re shooting page 9 next, instead of page 73!” “Copy that.” “Move background to lunch faster so we don’t get a penalty!” “Copy that.” (FYI, “background” is cool film set lingo for “extras.”)
And when you’re on a remote location, where electricity comes from generators and restrooms are in trailers you have to hike to, that instant communication can make the difference between a handshake and a broken nose.
Did I mention “dangerous” on this cool film set at a remote location?
“All hands on deck to clean trash out of prison cell 18 before we lose daylight!” “Copy that.” “Reset tumbleweed for take 4 – and don’t let any into frame too soon this time!” “Copy that.”
Now, our line producer was perhaps the only person who wore only one hat. But by definition, the line producer on a film oversees all the day-to-day details, so… it’s a big hat. One day, our line producer’s frantic voice squawked through my walkie-talkie, “Coco! Robert and Joe are out in the back field arguing. Hurry!”
I knew the stakes. I knew I had only seconds. I knew there was distance to cover. I bolted. Top speed.
“Copy that, I’m running now!”
Boy, did I need PRAYER!
I know you’re wondering: Who’s Joe? And what were the stakes?
Before I tell you about Joe, allow me to tell you about what Joe – and the entire crew – was dealing with in Robert.
Robert was a highly creative filmmaker. With a short fuse. Extremely short. By the end of Week 1, everyone was walking on eggshells to try to prevent his blowups. That didn’t work well as the weeks wore on. And because the job description of 1st AD is “make the director’s vision a reality,” I became the mediator of all conflicts. I prevented several mutinies.
Now, Joe (I also changed his name for this story) was the decorated Vietnam vet who worked for the location. His job description was “make sure film crews respect the location: the old State Penitentiary outside of Santa Fe, NM.”
Here’s a bit o’ backstory so you’ll know what we were dealing with at this – gulp – location.
On February 2 and 3, 1980, the inmates took control of the penitentiary. I won’t describe the horrible things that happened. In the end, 33 inmates died, and over 200 inmates and officers were seriously injured. By the time our little film crew came onto the location, a shiny, new penitentiary had been built next door, and this old one had fallen into ruins. It made for a fascinating, if not creepy, and kind of stressful, location for an ultra-low-budget film set.
Joe opened and closed the site for filming each day; he also to monitored our activities to be sure we didn’t “ruin” the, well, ruins. He took his job very seriously. He used his towering frame, leathered skin, decorated status, and threatening demeanor to keep everyone in line. And Robert didn’t like feeling threatened.
Robert was also a vet, but from a very different generation. He took his job very seriously, too. He used his bulldog build, sharp tongue, executive producer status, and threatening demeanor to make everyone, ahem, make his film. Of course, Joe didn’t like feeling threatened, either.
The line producer and I had agreed in Week 1 that our #1 joint job each day would be to keep these 2 men apart.
That one day, we failed.
Did I pray?
All kinds o’ prayers – including the craziest one ever
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Ephesians 6:18a (NIV) Italics mine.
Why did I put “all kinds of” in italics? Because the only prayer running through my head as I ran top speed towards the tall/angry/muscled man and the short/angry/muscled man facing off in the distance was the craziest prayer I’ve ever said: “Please, God, get me there before the first punch is thrown.”
And I wasn’t even a practicing Christian at the time.
Which begs the question: Why did my request begin with, “Please, God”? Without really thinking about praying, per se – but with all the focus on God that my being could muster?
Why did I pray?
I was brought up Roman Catholic, and as a kid, I had a rich, intimate, and conversational relationship with God. In my 20s, I questioned Him a ton; in my early 30s, I fully turned my back on Him. By the time this film set incident happened, I hadn’t had a conversation with God in a good dozen years.
And yet.
And yet here I was: using prayer as a knee-jerk action in an urgent situation.
Why?
Walkie-talkies and crazy prayers
Walkie-talkies provide instant 2-way communication. As long as the users are on the same channel and have their walkie-talkies turned on, any of those users can simply push the “talk” or “call” button, then talk, and be heard. And this goes both ways.
It’s the same with prayer, except you don’t have to hold a physical device.
The ease, the directness, and the immediacy – those things make walkie-talkies so crucial as a communication tool for soldiers, police officers, campers, slumber partiers… and on-location department heads desperately trying to prevent a clash so violent, the production would certainly get shut down.
Here’s the thing: Prayer also has an ease, a directness, and an immediacy. At least it can, or perhaps it should, so that you can use prayer as your crucial communication tool between you – and God.
You do need to “be on the same channel” as God, though. And your entire being needs to be “turned on” to Him.
Then you can simply talk and be heard. God can talk to you, too, and you can hear Him. No “talk” or “call” button necessary!
Instant. Two-way. Conversation.
Including crazy prayers in urgent, “dangerous” situations.
Reflective Response: How to Walkie-talkie with God
To say “Copy that” to this “Part 1” of “Prayer as God’s Armor,” here are 3 things you can do right away to turn on your walkie-talkie and set it to the same channel as God. Then be sure to read the next article, “Part 2” – so you can find out how God answered my craziest prayer ever… and whether or not I got punched in the nose!
- Get quiet and/or focused –
- If you can get into a quiet, secluded space, get there. Be there. Quiet.
- If you’re smack in the middle of an urgent situation, like I was, at least focus your thoughts onto a single item. For example, I was not thinking about anyone who was watching me run past them at top speed. I was focused on the target I was running toward.
- Address God. Only. – No, you are not addressing “the universe,” “energy,” “the sun/moon/stars/wind/etc,” “the powers that be,” “spirit animals,” or any “gods and goddesses.” If you want to pray to God, you must be on His channel.
- His channel features only One listener (in addition to you).
- And that One listener is also the One speaker (in addition to you).
- If you don’t address God only, you might as well toss your walkie-talkie in the trash. Even if you don’t consider yourself “a believer,” God will at least listen when you address Him. But He is none of these other entities. This point is a non-negotiable.
- Just say it – To borrow Nike’s plain-and-simple-yet-effective slogan. You really don’t need fancy words, and frankly, neither does God.
And remember… check out what happened on location in the next article in this series… did I remind you that it was “dangerous”???
And before you read the final article in this series about the full armor of God, be sure you catch up on all the previous articles – and each and every piece of armor!
“Wearing God’s Full Armor – How Can You Get Strong Enough?”
“Belt of Truth: Why We Buckle It First”
“Life’s a Rollercoaster: Get Your Breastplate of Righteousness in Place”
“How Can Feet Fitted with Peace Help Me At All?”
“When a Friend Told Me to F*ck Off, the Shield of Faith Was All I Had”
“Can the Helmet of Salvation Save a Brain of Insecurity?”
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