Mechanic On Duty

M

y drive home from work was unusually pleasant.  There didn't seem to be as many cars on the road, there was no new road construction tying up traffic, and everyone seemed to be in a very friendly mood.  I encountered no road hogs and none of those people who refuse to let you pass or get into the appropriate lane.  It just seemed too good to be true and I pinched myself just to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

As I exited the Interstate and headed back to the seminary, I passed a small service station.  This station was here before I came to seminary and I don’t doubt that it will still be here long after I am gone.  There are always several cars sitting outside the shop waiting to be repaired, inspected, or serviced.  In addition to the various signs advertising oil changes, wheel alignment, and tune-up service, there was another sign that simply read:  Mechanic On Duty!

Now, I am not mechanically inclined.  I know I’m supposed to change the oil in the car every so many thousand miles, that I have to rotate the tires regularly, and that the hoses, belts, and fluids need to be periodically checked.  I know these things need to be done but I don’t know how to do them.  I do not have the ability to discover minute problems and inconsistencies in my car’s engine.  That is why I take it to a mechanic.  He knows all about engines and can detect minute problems, listening and looking for things I would never even notice.

The mechanic knows the language of engines and can tell when one is in good running condition and when one needs repairs.  His ears and his eyes can detect abnormalities that completely escape my attention.  Engines are his specialty, not mine.  Left to me, the car would get the basic treatment but more serious problems would go undetected and wouldn't be repaired.

The role of the Holy Spirit in the Christian’s life is just like that of the mechanic.  When we go to the Lord in prayer, we often overlook abnormalities and inconsistencies in our lives.  We pull into the station for routine service, we offer routine prayers, we make routine requests, and we wait for a routine response.  While this may lead us to believe everything in our spiritual walk is fine, a good look under the hood would probably reveal areas of wear and tear, as well as some deterioration and corrosion.

What we need is a good mechanic, one who is always on duty, one who knows the language of our hearts and souls, even when we do not.  In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul describes such a mechanic.  He describes the role of the Holy Spirit in Romans 8:26 “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress.  For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray.  But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”

What a relief this is to me personally.  So many times I go to God in prayer and I use the same words and make the same requests.  I am simply servicing my soul, maintaining it but not looking deeper, not attempting to find hidden areas that need repair or replacement.  The Holy Spirit, however, is always running thorough tests, always looking for potential problem areas, and constantly checking all the vital parts of my spiritual life to make sure they are in running order.  The Scriptures tell me that the Holy Spirit knows the language of the soul and that he communicates my needs to God.

The only catch in this process is the following:  In order for any mechanic to detect a problem, I must take my car in for service.  Thus, in order to get my spiritual life serviced and problems detected, I must go in for scheduled maintenance.  In other words, I must pray and spend time with God.

W

hen was the last time you had a tune-up?  When was the last time you let the Holy Spirit take a good look under your hood?  When was the last time every inch of your soul was inspected for wear and tear and possible deterioration and corrosion?  Don’t you think it’s time you made an appointment today for a good engine check?  There is always a mechanic on duty!