Charged Up

This morning, when my friend called, we quickly got to what was troubling him.

“I just get so preoccupied with work,” he began. “I really want to spend time with God, so I hit my knees as soon as I roll out of bed. But then, when I get to my quiet time, I read a few meditation books and say some prayers, but in my heart, I know I’m not connecting with Him as I should. I get to thinking about work, and suddenly I’m wrapping things up with God because I need to start my day! I know better, but my time of meditation and prayer just isn’t what it needs to be, and I know it!”

I smiled. I knew exactly what he was talking about. All too well.

As I thought about it, I realized that I had been rationalizing that because I work in ministry, God would speak to me throughout the day, so I was okay. But I know I’m not.

If I’m too busy to spend enough time with God in the morning—before work—then I’m just too busy.

We talked for a bit, and then it was time for me to get to work. Not long afterward, I happened to glance at the battery indicator on my phone. It said 60 percent. That’s odd, I thought. I guess I talked to my friend longer than I realized.

But no matter. I have a charger on my desk, so I connected it and in no time, my phone was charged up again.

So what does quiet time with God and charging a battery have to do with recovery?

Well, a little research revealed that apparently, we can use all sorts of power supplies with different charging outputs—20 watts, 30 watts, 60 watts, 100 watts, or more. But I quickly learned that a 100-watt charger doesn’t just shove 100 watts into my phone. The built-in circuitry in my device accepts only what it can handle. And although the power supply has plenty of power available, the phone communicates what it needs, and the charger doesn’t force it to take more than it can handle.

That got me thinking, Isn’t that how God works with me?

God is the ultimate Power Source that makes a 100-watt charger look pretty insignificant. There is no shortage of power in Him, and when I plug into God, I’m connected to a Source of power far greater than anything I could ever imagine.

He gives me what I need, when I need it. He doesn’t overwhelm me with more than I can absorb. He meets me where I am and fills me with what I need for that day.

But there’s more. The charger and the phone communicate with each other, and larger-wattage power supplies can charge my phone faster than smaller ones. Yes, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. And here’s something interesting: the fastest charging happens during the first part of the process. Then things slow down as the battery approaches 80 percent, and slow even more as it gets closer to full. Why? Because when power flows in, heat is generated, and excessive heat can wear a battery down quickly.

Okay, what does any of that have to do with spending quiet time reading God’s Word in the morning?

Well, if I am to stay sober, I need my spiritual batteries charged up first thing in the morning. I never know what difficulties I’ll be facing that day. And if I do know, then all the more reason to get charged up!

My Power Supply is God, and I plug into Him by reading His Word and by meditating on what I read. I need to stop and think, How does this passage apply to me? What lessons did those Bible characters learn—or fail to heed? Have I been in this situation before? How did I behave or react? What can I do differently going forward?

My experience is that when I make the effort to plug in first thing in the morning, I get the biggest, fastest charge of the day. And because God is the ultimate Power Source, He can charge me faster and more completely than anything else ever could.

I’m grateful that God never overloads me. He knows my capacity—how much I can absorb and retain for that day. Do I need to spend all my waking hours reading my Bible? No, I don’t think so. I need to take what I’ve learned out into life and share it. Better yet, I need to live what I’ve learned.

Like this morning, my charge might become depleted fairly quickly. But my Power Supply is always nearby. If I’m driving, I can listen to God’s Word on my phone. I can repeat to God and to myself what I’ve learned—or share it with a like-minded friend. I can look for ways to apply it in all my affairs.

Today I ask God for opportunities to share the good news with others. And then I watch for them.

They’ll show up. They always do.

Who knew I could learn something from my phone and a simple charger?