It was getting close to 10:30 and still no response from Alexa (my smart house interface). Rebecca reminded me that we have a freezer full of beef and if we didn’t want to lose it we should do something soon. We have a generator! I’ve never used it but I can read instructions. I got everything set up, breakers switched off and the power cable plugged in. The gas tank was half full, so I pressed the ignition switch. Nothing. I tried again. Same result. I knew that any attempt to get a different result by applying the same action was futile. So I decided to jump the battery with the lawn mower.
There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to find the right tool for the right job. No jumper cables. But Joe Suter was driving down the drive way, and he was gracious enough to let me borrow his (Thanks Joe). After Joe left I drove my lawnmower around to the generator, plugged everything in and walla, it worked like a charm. I poked my head into the breakfast nook and said, “Alexa.” The blue light swirled to my delight. Then it struck me. Maybe the electricity came back on. I went to the generator and turned it off, poked my head into the breakfast nook, and Alexa’s blue light swirled her typical greeting. I don’t know if my generator works or not, but I do know I have power.
It is amazing how dependent we are on electricity, and when it is gone we feel helpless. What do I do with my frozen food? How do I get water into the house? I won’t be able to email anyone. And I will have to watch TV in the dark!
Life can be overwhelming when we don’t have power. Power comes in lots of forms and it usually has to do with control. There is power of governments, bosses, parents, and spouses. People can exert physical power and emotional power. There is power in manipulation and power in forgiveness. Power can be used for good and it can be used for evil. In the Bible the word power is used 229 times, showing how power is used and misused. We are told in 1 John 5:19 “ We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” All the misuse of power in the world is because people lie in the hands of the devil. But we are not of the devil, and are not subject to him. Instead we are from God, and as his children we have a specific set of powers.
Power of Prayer: James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
Power of Courage: 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
Power of inner strength: Ephesians 3:16 “That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,”
Power of Hope: Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Power of Witness: Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Power to overcome: Colossians 1:29 “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
Power of renewal: Isaiah 40:29 “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.”
For us the best power doesn’t come from ourselves but, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,” 2 Peter 1:3. It is a power that has called us out of darkness and into the light. It is a power that will never go out. I’m just saying….
From The Bunker Day 66
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