We are all so dependent on power. If you have ever had a power outage, you know the helpless feeling as you wait for power to be restored. At our house we are having issues with power and connectivity. Most of it is self-inflicted because we changed Internet providers. Once we get everything connected things should run smoothly, but oh my goodness! We have a lot of devices, and when I say we, I actually mean me. I love gadgets. But when they don’t work they become a source of frustration.
Jerry and I watch a good deal of streaming television, so the first order of business was to connect all of our TVs (yes, we have many) to the Internet. Then we connected our phones and iPads. We thought we were pretty much set after that, except Jerry struggled to set up a new email account. I admit it was difficult for some reason, so I am just keeping my Gmail account. Easy. Later, I realized all my Amazon Echo devices were down, and one Echo Dot just would NOT connect to the new Internet. Finally, after several hard resets I got it up and running. I told you I have a lot of gadgets!
So this morning, after getting everything connected (I thought) to the new Internet, I discovered that we have a faulty power outlet at our house. It just happens to be the outlet I use to charge all my devises at night. Even my watch must be plugged in. So this morning when I opened my iPad, I was surprised to find that I only had 28% battery left. Nothing charged overnight! We checked the reset buttons and then the breaker box. I guess we will need to replace that outlet. When I sat down to my laptop to Google electrical outlets (and there are so many fancy ones!) I realized I hadn’t connected it to the new Internet. Network connection was a quick and easy fix, but just writing these words has made me realize how dependent I am on my power sources.
All of this has happened at a time when God has had me studying and writing a conference talk about prayer. I want to pray powerful prayers and I am completely dependent I am on my heavenly power source. When I lose my connection to God, I am weak and my battery runs low. Trying to do what I am called to do on 28% doesn’t work. Just as I have to recharge all my devises, I must recharge my heart. I must be connected to God’s network if I am to be effective.
I read that the biggest power sources in the United States are the Grand Coulee Dam and the Palo Verde Nuclear power plant. I can’t even wrap my brain around the amount of power they produce every second. And yet, our God is infinitely more powerful.
There is so much power in prayer. I want to pray big, bold, fervent, persistent prayers! Importunate prayers. Jerry and I are doing something new this year. Since we are both retired, we have more time for morning prayers. We decided to pray specifically for one family member each morning. We have nineteen in our immediate family, so when we get to day twenty we begin praying for our extended family, our friends, our church, our country, and our world. As we have practiced this way of praying, I’ve noticed out prayers have become bolder and more specific. One of our first sermons of the New Year was a challenge to pray Ephesians 1:19-21 for our children and grandchildren. It is a passage about knowing God’s power. What a privilege it is to walk right into the throne room and speak to God on behalf of my family. I can’t wait to see how God answers these prayers.
“I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” Eph. 1:19-21 ESV
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