The gas gauge needle was near Empty.
I was on a remote road in Virginia, driving my son to football camp. With the excitement accompanying such an event, I paid little attention to the gas gauge. We were simply driving along, enjoying our conversation, envisioning passes caught for touchdowns and college scouts rushing over with full-paid scholarships. Then the gas gauge caught my eye.
Fear has a way of momentarily paralyzing the mind. Realizing we were dangerously close to running out of gas, I also knew we were on a rural road that didn’t have many gas stations. Having driven that road several times previously, I scolded myself for not stopping on the main highway in the larger town that we passed about an hour ago.
Here’s the irony of my predicament. At that very moment, I was in the left hand lane passing a fuel tanker. I was cruising along near empty, fearful of running out of gas on that desolate stretch of road, yet right beside me was a source of more fuel than my car could accommodate. If only there was a way to connect to that tanker as we drove. If fighter jets can refuel in-flight, why haven’t we figured out a way for cars to do it? I should have filled up when I could – now my journey had become fearful.
Spiritual Fuel
Many times life resembles that scenario. We sail along, enjoying the everyday experiences, living without a care in the world – all without noticing our spiritual fuel tanks are almost empty. Then, once we notice or sense it, we fearfully forget we have The Source of all our needs riding faithfully beside us.
God promises to never leave us. He promises to meet our needs. Also, He asks us to talk with Him in unbroken fellowship. Yet we tend to forget or become distracted from what is truly important. Even when we do remember to refuel, we are so busy in the routines of life that quiet time with God is more like a “splash and go” than a full tank top-off.
Here’s the great news. Even when we forget, God remains beside us. He offers Himself fully to us. Even when we may have something else in mind, He wants to meet our deepest, truest needs. Our daily challenge is to stay spiritually “fueled” to carry us through the remote stretches of our lives.
