Getting Recharged

In my last two posts I was in a recovery mode from an injury. The time that I spent running was limited so that I could heal and regain strength. This week I seem to be back to full steam...mostly. It would have been very easy to allow the injury to completely derail my workouts. It does for many people. A few days on the couch turns into a couple of weeks. After a month, the thought of working out brings back those agonizing memories from starting a workout plan all over again...motrin, ice, limping, moaning. Sometimes we negotiate a deal to simply eat healthier and forego the workouts. In my case that is laughable! I have a particular weakness for bacon and wings.

I think we do this in our spiritual lives too. I wrote in a previous blog about getting burned out. Some of us just decide that we'll pray, read our bibles, and go to church, and little more. While these things are vital, I would equate it to "hiding your light under a basket" as the scripture says. The phrase "I'll pray for you" seems to be a common utterance and probably more equal to "the check is in the mail."

Don't get me wrong. Sometimes prayer is the ONLY thing we can do; When we have a sick friend or family member; when someone is in need of financial provision and it is just not in our budget to help. But I have heard for years that we need to pray for revival in the church. Okay. I'll buy that, but I think if we pray for strength, wisdom, and guidance for ourselves, we can go into the world and use what God has given us to instigate a revival. Think about Peter on the day of Pentecost. Powered by the Holy Spirit, Peter spoke to the masses and thousands were added to their number. He didn't wait for God to add them.

Imagine a dead battery. It is pretty useless. Kind of like us when we're burned out or injured. Now put that battery in a charger (prayer, bible study, meditation, etc). Whatever we use the battery for cannot be used until it is charged, but while it is being charged, it is still pretty useless. Sometimes it is great to just sit in the charger. Why would Moses ever want to come down off that mountain? But the work of God is not getting done by us as long as we're on the charger. Either someone else is doing it (and getting burned out) or it's not getting done at all.

Think about it this way. David did not slay Goliath from his knees. Nehemiah did not build a wall from his knees. Joshua did not lead his army to victory from his knees. Every one of these warriors unplugged once they were fully charged and did what needed to be done with the power that they had been given. We cannot bring the Gospel to our neighbors, co-workers, children, or communities until we unplug from the charger, come down from the mountain, and GET OFF OUR KNEES.

To paraphrase Francis of Assissi (I think), "Pray as if everything depends on God, for it does. Work as if everything depends on you, for it does."

...but don't forget to plug back in...