“…the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness…”

Romans 8:26

Technology is replacing many things in our world and those who refuse to change are left behind in their own little world. I know how much things changed in my lifetime, but I can only imagine what it is like for our parents and grandparents.

Many of my friends are considering abandoning their “land lines” in preference to their cell phones. The internet has almost replaced many things that were once accessible only through travel to where the information was kept. Although books are still popular, many people are going to e-readers instead of the print media. I have one of these devices called a Kindle which contains several versions of the Bible and over one hundred books and periodicals. It is a wonderful tool until you forget to charge it.

This morning I reached for my Kindle only to find the battery was almost depleted. The information was of little use to me since I couldn’t access it. To make matters worse, I didn’t have the charger or a place to plug it in. Once I was home I had to wait several hours for it to recharge. It is like my cell phone that I often forget to put in the charger and isn’t ready when I need it. All of these devices that were intended to make life simpler are totally useless if I fail to recharge them.

My life is like that when I fail to recharge my spiritual batteries through prayer and studying God’s Word. Several weeks ago this came home to me after I was driving and telling God I couldn’t take anymore things going wrong. Less than a minute later I pulled in my driveway and had to face a situation that was much worse. I became hysterical and inconsolable because I had just told God I had enough. The situation turned out to not be as bad as I first thought. It can be easily fixed, but I learned a valuable lesson: Never tell God you can’t take anymore in your life.

Every time I fail to keep my spiritual batteries charged, I find I have more difficulty in dealing with day to day challenges. I think I can’t go on, but God promises, “… My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness”. (2 Corinthians 12:9) God’s grace is sufficient for us in all circumstances, not just a few. Relying on His strength in our weakness will see us through anything.

However, what if you don’t know how to rely on His strength or what to pray for? God has a solution for that as well. In Romans 8:26, 28 Paul tells us: “the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words”. (NLT) How wonderful it is to know we can plug into that kind of power.

Be careful to always keep your spiritual batteries charged, it makes life easier to bear.

Debra Whittington is a longtime resident of Tucumcari. Contact her at: dawhittington@msn.com