I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened to … his incomparably great power for us who believe. [Ephesians 1:18-19]
A friend from the pacific Northwest conveyed concern.
ARE YOU READY FOR HURRICANE BERYL?
Um, hurricane?
I responded with nonchalance because one, that’s my default disposition, and two, our unfinished half bathroom.
Yes, after months of pondering myself into a frenzy, I was more focused on what color I wanted to paint the walls—something that would make Joanna Gaines envious. Settling on a soothing sage green, I believe I succeeded.
We updated the light fixtures and added an arched mirror and wall art to create a rustic farm house look.
The first morning after the bathroom was completed …
BAM!
Hurricane Beryl barreled throughout Houston and Kingwood and gave us a ferocious howdy handshake. The storm snapped trees of all heights and strengths. Limbs and leaves littered our roof and lawn.
We were without power for 10 days; others for quite a while longer.
I’d made an olympic sport out of feverish and repetitive checks on the website for updates on power recovery.
Will we recover power today, Lord?
Discomfort can lead to restlessness which can lead to fits of helplessness without the ability to push buttons and switches and remotes to make our world light up.
The degree to which we rely on our devices, Wi-Fi, cell service, and appliances is astonishing and only realized when we’re stripped of it.
Note: Without power, Blue Bell doesn’t stand a chance beyond a 24 hour period.
But what we lost over the course of those long, agonizing days of darkness and heat was access to electricity to power the things we’d become dependent on.
Spiritually, we never lost power. Because of Jesus, the living, almighty God, we never will.
When we plug into him, the power of our unlimited, mighty God is always available to us.
Remain in me, and I will remain in you … Apart from me you can do nothing. [John 15:4, 5]
God imparted us with strength. But in his intelligent design, he put limits on it. Otherwise, we’d have no need of him.
I got this, Lord. I’m good.
When we perpetually draw from our own strength, it serves like a battery which will reach an inevitable point of uselessness, destined for an ever-growing trash heap of double AAs.
God’s power is unmatched. It was mightily exerted when God raised Jesus from the dead. [Ephesians 1:20]
His power is sufficient to conquer the enemy that tempts us to rely on ourselves.
When we feel powerless or weak, it isn’t because God pulled the plug. We’ve refused to draw from his power.
When we acknowledge we’ve reached the inevitable dead end of our own strength, He is compassionate and welcomes us back with open arms.
Points to Ponder
✶ How readily do you draw from God’s strength in situations that feel unsurmountable?
✶ When have you experienced evidence of God’s strength at work in you?
✶ What hinders you from relying on God’s power?
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Until next time,
Ten days without power! Oh, my goodness, that's terrible. Like you, I think we've become too dependent on our electronic devices, but some things (like AC, running water, refrigeration--I could go on) seem to have become essentials. I expect you've gained a lot of experiences that will be published in a blog or book later. So much reflection time to focus on what's really important. Thanks for sharing, Mary.