“In the event that soldiers are captured, SERE training will have prepared them to resist the enemy's attempts at exploitation, to escape from captivity and to return home with honor. The Army's Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) Course traces its roots to the Vietnam conflict. On Oct. 29, 1963, Captain Rocky Versace, [Special Forces] First Lieutenant Nick Rowe and Master Sergeant Dan Pitzer were captured in South Vietnam after an intense fire fight. All three endured hardships as captives of the Viet Cong. Versace was eventually executed for his staunch resistance to communist indoctrination. Pitzer was freed after four years.

Rowe remained a prisoner for more than five years. In late December 1968, the Viet Cong, frustrated by Rowe's refusal to accept communist ideology and weary of his continued attempts to escape, scheduled his execution. As Rowe was being transferred for execution, he took advantage of the distraction caused by a sudden overflight of U.S. helicopters and struck down his guard. Still keen to his surroundings after 62 months of captivity, Rowe ran into a clearing, where he was spotted by the helicopters. He was rescued and quickly repatriated.

Rowe left the Army in 1974 and wrote a book about his POW experiences, Five Years to Freedom.  When the Army Special Forces School recognized the need for a SERE program, Rowe was the first choice as the person to design the course and to establish its operation. He was recalled to active duty in 1981 and was given the mission of developing and running the SERE program.” (Quote taken from SERE: Training Soldiers to Survive - Army's survival, evasion, resistance and escape training, by Blaine Miller. 6/22/00).

I’ve recently been reading about the experiences of POWs. One helicopter pilot, a member of the Army’s Special Operations Air Regiment, gave his SERE training the credit for his survival as a POW, in the early ‘90s. All the stories are so gut wrenching and intense that people like me with “ordinary” problems can’t even truly relate. For that reason, I’ve been very hesitant to write anything that draws parallels between what they went through and what I go through. The plain truth is, we are worlds and worlds a part. As I’ve read, however, verses continue to spring to mind, and I’m developing a perspective that I do believe can be fruitful for our spiritual lives.

In the “Survival” portions of SERE training, trainees are taught that when stranded in the field, they should eat what they can find, which can include turtles, snakes, insects and other things normally considered unappetizing. The idea is to help them overcome their food aversions. Soldiers are taught how to use anything to survive, like random trash scavenged from the woods can be used to build a lure to catch fish.

Although the vast majority of us have never actually been in the situation, we’re all familiar with the message of the phrase “survival mode.” This is the state of existence in which our expectations are the very lowest. We don’t anticipate things to go well – we just hope we can get out “alive.” I’ve recently become aware of a great many Christians that are living their spiritual lives in survival mode. I’m beginning to believe that spiritual “survival training” is necessary.

Perhaps I’m not even the guy who should be “teaching” this course, but I will share what I can. When this resonates with you, I hope you’ll share your insight so we can all benefit. Let me begin by defining Christians existing in survival mode:

• You feel stranded in the field – like you’re in hostile territory and have no real way to get out
• You feel unprepared or under-equipped to deal with your daily circumstances
• You have no sense of control over your own life and direction – you are constantly pushed and pulled by the demands of others
• Even God seems completely unreachable and very distant from you.

I’m discovering that people in this situation are bumping into the ceiling of their religion. They are doing everything they’ve been taught to do – praying, praising, fasting, confessing – whatever. Yet it seems that nothing “works” anymore. This is the point that “survival training” becomes necessary. What do you do when everything stops working and you’re all on your own?

Think about Elijah’s experience in 1 Kings 19. He reaches such a point of despair that he prays for the Lord to just kill him. I’ve thought about this a lot – what caused Elijah to sink so far after having seen such amazing, miraculous victories over evil? It had to be more than Jezebel’s threat against him. He’d been facing the threat of death for years already. I’m sure that the cumulative impact of that constant stress explains some of it. But I see something more. After Elijah’s dramatic victory against the prophets of Baal, on Mt. Carmel, what happened? Virtually nothing! Israel did not turn back to the Lord, Ahab’s wicked rule was not weakened in the slightest degree and Jezebel was still being given undue authority to devour the people of God. Where was God? What was He doing? Why were these vicious, evil people being allowed to continue to rule God’s people?

Are you beginning to sense why Elijah was so deeply affected? Everything Elijah had come to expect from God was now being undone. He was deep in enemy territory, hungry, under-equipped, all alone and desperate.

This subject is too big to develop in one piece. I’m recording a podcast called Survival Training to build upon this article. In it, I’ll talk about the lessons in survival the Lord taught Elijah. I hope you’ll “tune in” at www.sfgpodcast.com.

Peace.
SJB