Power failure – the lights blink a couple of times and go out. Suddenly you are surrounded by total darkness. The sound of motors running – heat pump, refrigerator/freezer – can no longer be heard. An eerie silence hangs in the air. Your first thought is, “What happened?”
If you live anywhere along the southeastern coast of the United States it could be because you are hunkered down in the middle of an Atlantic hurricane. Or it could be a blown transformer resulting from a vehicle hitting a power pole. Or maybe it is something as simple as an electrical short somewhere inside your home that flipped the switch in your power box. But no matter what the cause, a power outage is no fun. If the power is off for an extended period of time, food decays in your refrigerator and freezer. Heat can rise along with your temper. When you are cut off from the source of power it changes everything, doesn’t it?
The thought of an unexpected interruption of electric power gives us the opportunity to segue into another kind of power both available to and needed by each of us. In that regard, consider two questions:
First question: Who is your source of power? Is it you? Your spouse? A teacher who has influenced your life in a powerful way? Your friends? Or is it Jesus Christ? Those who go through life believing that they are the master of their own fate, that they need nothing and no one beyond themselves, ultimately run into problems and challenges that need a power source from beyond themselves. But those who rely on the Lord for their power have a source that is available twenty-four hours of every single day.
The power that God makes available to those who believe in Him is accessed through prayer. Prayer is dialogue, not a monologue. It is our talking to God and God talking to us. Said the psalmist: “I will hear what God the Lord will speak” (Psalm 85:8). And through the psalmist God says: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Therefore, when at night you cannot sleep, don’t settle for counting sheep – talk to the Shepherd. In our prayers we often try to give God instructions, when what we need to do is report for duty.
In Acts 2:32-33 we read, “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.” He gives us the gift of power through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Second question: Are you plugged in? An electric tool cannot and will not work unless it is plugged in to the source of power. The same thing is true with regard to living the Christian life. You have to be connected to the source of power. We are connected when we pray, listen, and read God’s Word. You say you are busy? Yes, we all are. But we do what we want to do, what we consider to be a priority, don’t we?
You can pray lying down, sitting, standing, walking, or driving down the highway. I have prayed many times while driving – but not with my eyes closed, of course. You can read God’s Word at any time – if even for five minutes. Those who begin the day with Jesus Christ realize that they are connected to a power source that won’t overload or run out throughout the day. There is no need to have a power failure in your life.
Samuel Henry Price was on target when he said: “The world is full of faces, black with anger, green with envy and red with shame, which could be made radiantly white with holiness and spirituality aglow by the transfiguring power of prayer.” Prayer is love raised to its greatest power. It is one of God’s unique gifts to those who believe. Prayer is a very reliable and always available source of power!
Do you use it?
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