When the Power Goes Out

The other night we had a severe thunderstorm watch for our area until 8:00 p.m. but the storms seemed to be staying a little east of our farm in Mississippi. And then it happened! Just before 7:00 the sky got almost black and the clouds rolled in. Raindrops pelted against the windows and the tin roof. Trees were bending in the wind. Before I knew it the power went out and the voice of the weather man on TV and the hum of the air conditioner were gone. Only the sound of the rain and thunder was left. We are so used to having electrical power that when we are without it we feel almost helpless! No fans. No air conditioning. No TV. No radio. Worry about the freezers getting too warm.

It's pretty amazing to realize that the thunder storm that caused our power outage had more than enough electrical energy in it's lightening to run all the appliances in our homes! One form of power taking away another form of power!

I immediately started trying to call our local electrical power company but could only get a busy signal for more than an hour. By then the storm had passed over and things had, thankfully, cooled off. With the windows open I could feel a cool breeze blowing. A little after 8:00 I was finally able to get the after-hours electric company's dispatcher and tell her our power was off. I was hoping that it would be back on in an hour or so but it would eventually take about 13 hours to get power restored. The clean-up crew stayed up all night to get people's power back on.

Have you ever felt like you had the power turned off in your spiritual life? I have! Usually it's like that thunderstorm we had.....one kind of power taking away another kind of power. Never underestimate the power of Satan. He tried to use it to conquer even Jesus when he tempted Him in Luke 4: 6 “And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.” But Satan's power was overcome with the power of Almighty God. (I Chronicles 29: 11) “Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thing; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.”

Being without power can be scary sometimes. Especially if it happens during the night. The same is true spiritually. It's scary being without God's power in our life! Job said this...(Job 26: 2 ) “How hast thou helped him that is without power? How savest thou the arm that hath no strength?” Isaiah had a good answer....(Isaiah 40: 29) “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.”

Sometimes the reason we have no spiritual power is because we have never been saved. Oh, we may be religious. We may even be a member of a church. We may outwardly look like a Christian but not possess any power because we have never really trusted what Jesus did on the cross to be enough to take us to heaven! (2 Timothy 3: 5) “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” Jesus has the perfect remedy for the powerless life! (John 1: 12 ) “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”

As Christians, we have immediate access to God the Father and to His power in our lives! (2 Samuel 22: 33 ) “God is my strength and power: And he maketh my way perfect.”

I love how the old hymn puts it: "There is power, power, wonder working power.....in the precious blood of the Lamb!"

Marilyn