The Power Bill

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nce a month I receive a nice little reminder in my mailbox.  It comes in a neat little envelope with my name and address appearing prominently in the window.  Just like clockwork, the mailman brings it at the same time and each month I open it, peek inside, pull out the papers, and look at the lovely charts, numbers, and explanations printed on the face of my power bill!

First, there is a billing summary of my charges complete with a reminder of how much I spent on power the month before, as if I want to be reminded of that!  Next comes the current usage and finally at the bottom is the total amount I owe for my power bill.  To top things off in a decorative manner, my electrical company provides a chart displaying my usage for the past twelve months.  The little bars go up and down showing me where I saved money as well as the months where I spent money--lots of it—for which the power company is very grateful!

A quick gander at the chart reveals that most of my power consumption occurs during the hottest and coldest months of the year.  This should come as no surprise to me or to anyone else.  It is during the winter and the summer months that I am powerless to ward off the biting cold or the sweltering heat.  So, I run my heating and my air conditioning units to protect and comfort me during these months.  The spikes in my power bill represent those times when I must use the resources available to me to make it through both the heat and the cold.

How much of God’s power are we using in our daily walk with Him?  If God presented us with a power bill indicating the amount of His power flowing through our lives would the spikes on the graph be high or low?  Would there be months when no power was used at all, a flat line as it were, indicating the times when we didn’t want or use God’s power?  Or would there be an even row of spikes showing that we call on God’s power all the time, realizing that we need Him on a daily basis if we are ever to live the Christian life as He intended?

For those Christians who maintain a close relationship with their Heavenly Father, the spikes on the graph would be pretty even.  Still, there would be times when the bars on the graph were very high, indicating a greater need to call on God’s power and strength to see them through.  No doubt these spikes would coincide with times of great struggle, trial, pain, disappointment and growth.  It seems that at those times in life when the road grows steeper, the way grows more difficult, and the path grows weary, that God gives us an extra portion of His grace to strengthen and sustain us.

The Apostle Paul knew this all to well.  In 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, he reminds his readers, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

In this passage, Paul is speaking of a “thorn in the flesh” that plagued him during his life. On three occasions, he asked the Lord to remove it from him and each time the Lord said, “No.”  God, however, did not leave Paul without an explanation.  This entire passage is one of great encouragement to Paul and to us.  God explains that our weaknesses are actually opportunities for Him to display His power through us.

In moments when we face tragedy, in moments of medical crises, in times of all types of difficulties, we find that God’s grace is indeed our strength, the power we need to continue.  It is during the times of our greatest weaknesses that God’s power reaches its greatest levels in our lives.  That is the promise of this passage.

Notice Paul says he is able to persevere in all types of struggles because he realizes that when he is weak, God becomes his strength.  So how would you rate your usage of God’s power in your life?  Is there a steady flow running through your life on a daily basis?  Are you constantly in contact with your Heavenly Father, drawing your strength and energy from Him for every situation in your life?  Are you thanking Him for the times when you need extra power and He provides for you in your moments of weakness, in the face of overwhelming odds and insurmountable circumstances? 

His grace is sufficient for your every need and His power is perfected, made complete, in our weaknesses.  Whatever you are facing in life today lay hold of the promise that God knows where you are. He understands your situation and He stands ready to provide all the strength you need to meet all the challenges life throws in your path.  What does the power bill of your life tell you about your usage of God’s power today?