By Rachelle Rea
2 Samuel 22:29,“You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.” (NIV)
Don’t you just love it when the power goes out?
The lights flicker, then die. Beeping sounds alert you to panicking machines, eclipsed only by the distressed moan of whatever family member(s) have the misfortune of being on the computer at the moment.
Thank the Lord for batteries and flashlights.
I’ve known many summer storms capable of wreaking such destruction on the electrical lines.
But there’s a power outage much, much worse than the ones brought on by wind and rain.
What happens when a Christian doesn’t pray? What happens when a Christian doesn’t read the Bible? What happens when instead of plugging into the power source of our lives, Christ, we settle for battery-operated flashlights the world hands us?
Destruction. Distress. Danger.
Prayer is our link to God. Communing daily with Him not only keeps us close to Him, but safe from the wiles of the evil one. God’s Word is our light and our lamp (Psalm 119:105).
Soaking our souls in the stories and words of encouragement found in the Bible provides us with the roadmap for our lives.
There are cheap substitutes available that may seem, for a time, to be the newest thing, the handiest little number, or the solution to all our problems. So many things the world offers glitter and gleam upon first use.
But time always reveals the cracks in our new toys. The batteries eventually run out of juice.
There is no comparison between flashlights and lamps. The flood of light of the one always drowns out the weak beam of the other.
So, too, does prayer have no comparison to entertainment, busyness, relationships, and the search for satisfaction in anything other than Christ.
Our relationship with God is a precious thing, to be cultivated and cherished on a daily basis. Even more than a provider of peace and purpose, God is a provider of unfailing light—light brighter than any earthly batteries could ever produce.
Will you choose to plug into the ultimate Power Source today?
God, I don’t want to settle for cheap substitutes anymore. Please flood my life with Your light and teach me how to plug in. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Share It
Do you have a daily time with God? Is it in the morning or at night?
Live It
For a week, set a timer for five minutes and pray until you hear the ding. A week after that, try six minutes and so on, until the ding surprises you.
More About Rachelle
Rachelle Rea is a college sophomore studying Communications. She coaches gymnastics at her local YMCA and (usually) schedules her time with God in the morning, before classes beckon and the craziness begins. She has a variety of devotional books to choose from in her quiet time basket, but one she plans to read every day this year is Jesus Calling.
For more from Rachelle, visit her at www.rachellerea.com.
Flashlight image by: Keattikorn
Be blessed today, ya’ll, and find your power source is His Spirit!