Uninterrupted Power Supply

Every two to three Saturdays, the morning radio announcements include a public notice that the electric power will be turned off for the entire region from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (although generally the power stays off until 5:00 or 6:00 in the evening). Americans would never stand for such an arrangement, but the patient Africans accept this inconvenience along with so many others in their challenging lives.
 
Of course, the scheduled outages are only part of the “problem” here – there are many more unscheduled outages. Two features I’ve observed of every power outage, whether or not it’s planned, are:
 
1)      When there is no power, I cannot do my normal tasks. I have no internet connection, no light in the office, and limited time on the computer, assuming that my laptop battery is charged.
2)      Without power, I am very uncomfortable. Fans and air conditioning do not work without electricity; and they’re pretty necessary for comfort when the temperature is soaring into the 100s each day this time of year.
 
As I considered the recurring condition of things here, I couldn’t help but think of what happens when we allow ourselves to be spiritually drained. When we neglect prayer, we lose our source of spiritual power, with sad results:
 
1)      We cannot accomplish the tasks to which God has called us. We might be able to do some things in our own strength, but our own work will lack the effectiveness and the lasting impact of God’s work.
2)      Without the power of God in our lives, we will not enjoy the peace and happiness that He meant for us to experience, no matter what our circumstances.
 
May we develop the habit of faithful prayer so that we will experience God’s uninterrupted power supply in our lives!