Our daughter, Jill, called me earlier this week and announced that she was stuck in a parking lot and her car wouldn’t start. She had just done some shopping and when she returned to her vehicle, the battery was dead. Of course, I’m pretty particular about these things and even have records of when our car batteries are replaced, but I don’t have any such records for her.
I pride myself on always being prepared and I carry jumper cables in each of our cars just in case it is necessary for me to come and rescue any family member or friend. I’ve done this for years but rarely have I had the need to use my cables. In fact, they can be somewhat cumbersome and you need to know how to attach everything in order for them to work correctly.
Recently, with our newer cars, I have been warned about using jumper cables to assist other motorists. I guess, with all the advanced electronics, it is easy to make a mistake and burn out one or more of the on board computers in more tech oriented cars. I haven’t had to jump a car in years and so it is always a learning experience for me.
Before I headed over to help Jill, I called the auto dealer to see if we could take the car to them, once it was started, so that they could replace the battery. Angie, the tech advisor, reminded me that I shouldn’t use jumper cables, but would be well served to go with a “jumper box” – a modern answer to avoid issues with car electrical systems.
Now, I don’t have one of these “jump” boxes, but Angie said I could stop by the dealer and borrow theirs. So… I let Jill know I was taking a detour and would see her shortly. Angie handed me a little packet that contained a small power pack and cables to attach to the dead battery. She gave me a quick lesson and implored me to use the newer technology and leave the jumper cables at home.
Anyway, I followed her instructions and everything worked great. I got it hooked up in a matter of seconds and, wouldn’t you know it, the car started right up. My first thought was that I need one of these! There were safety features built it to protect me in case I made a mistake with the cables; and there was no possibility of hurting my own car. In fact, it made terrific sense to me. I’ve heard of these before, but never ever considered owning one – I really learned something by helping Jill.
Sometimes, it pays to realize that there are simpler, better ways to do things than we think. We tend to make stuff more complicated than it needs to be. And so it is with our spiritual lives and our relationship with God. Just like the “jump” box, everything we need to recharge our batteries is self contained. We don’t need to connect to anything else in order to be in communion with God – any time, any place, with the full power of God.
Also, like with the “jump” box, we can’t make a mistake. As long as we are authentic and pray with sincerity, there is no way we can hurt ourselves, or our relationship with God. Our faith is portable, as we can take it with us wherever we need to go and prayer is guaranteed to comfort and recharge us. Even if we use arrow prayers, (those quick, heaven bound missives that are short and direct), God hears us and our pleas. In other words, our prayers are guaranteed to reach the Father, each and every time.
Our verse for tonight is from Paul’s second epistle to the Thessalonians. Paul talks to this church about prayer and the power of God. Paul tells them, and us, in 2 Thessalonians 1:11, “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.”
In other words, Paul lets the church know that he is constantly praying for them and that God’s power has no bounds when it comes to His people. My encouragement is that God is always there to infuse us with his power – recharging us to reach our full capacity. My prayer is that we will give God access to work on our hearts and our minds to help us be the best that we can be, in Him. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…