Our Source of Power

One winter we had a terrible ice storm that knocked out power lines all over the city. Nearly a fifth of the people in the area suffered without electricity for a time. At our house the power blinked out on Tuesday night—just after we had finished dinner. We had candles ready, and lit them immediately. Then we set up the card table in the middle of the living room and played games for a couple of hours. By that time it was beginning to get chilly in the house, so we bundled up, loaded extra blankets on the bed, and snuggled in for the night. By morning the temperature in the house was in the fifties, and I dreaded getting up; I really wanted to stay in bed and stay warm. As I lay there wide awake, pondering what to do when I crawled out of my warm cocoon, the power suddenly came on. It didn’t take long for the house to warm up. Later, we found that we were more fortunate than many. Tens of thousands of people were without electricity for days. Some had no power for more than a week, and the outside temperatures hovered in the twenties!

Even in our short time without power, we realized how much we relied on it. Without electricity there was no heat, no cooking, no television, no radio, no music, no news, no hot shower. We began to realize how much we took electrical power for granted when we flipped on a light switch whenever we walked into a room—even though we knew the power was out.

Isn’t this the way we take God’s power for granted? How often do we contemplate just how powerful He is? The book of Job gives us a quick reminder of the awesome power of God. "Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Who marked off its dimensions? Who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb?" (38:4a,5a,7,8)

Who has the power to do all this and more? God. I am most humbled when I contemplate this unimaginable power. The God who has all of this power surely has the power to help me to know Him better, to serve Him more completely. I am grateful for that brief time without electrical power which forced me to slow down and reexamine the true source of power in my life.

Almighty God, maker of the heavens, the earth, and all that is in it; as I meditate on your power, help me to place all my trust in your might. Let me always remember the true source of power in my life.

II Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”