Are You Really Plugged Into God?
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
(Ephesians 3:14-19)
The other morning when I woke up, I seemed more tired than usual. I walked into the kitchen, saying out loud “Ugh…I need God and coffee this morning”. I put together my travel mug coffeemaker and turned it on. However, it wasn’t turning on. I must have pressed the button ten times coming to the sad conclusion that it wasn’t going to work. I had just bought this a few weeks ago as I had one years ago and loved it. I’m the only one in my home who drinks coffee so it was the right size for me. As I washed some dishes, I thought about the other reviews I read on one site that had praised this little coffee maker but it also had negative comments to make, one being it only worked a few weeks before it stopped. I thought about how I would now go back and leave a comment how it had stopped working after a few good weeks. As I lifted up the crockpot on the counter to put it behind me on the island, I realized it was plugged in. With joy I saw that I had plugged in the wrong appliance, plugging in my crockpot instead of my coffeemaker! Both were next to each other and both had black cords so an easy mistake to make. I then plugged in my little coffeemaker and waited excitedly for my coffee as it began to brew. Yes, I get that excited over coffee.
Later on I began thinking about what had happened and how I had accidentally plugged the wrong appliance into the outlet which led me to believe my coffeemaker was broken. It wasn’t broken at all, it just wasn’t plugged in. Nothing was wrong with the outlet and nothing was wrong with the coffeemaker. Everything was working fine. I had just made the mistake of plugging in the wrong appliance. Soon some thoughts began on how to apply this to ourselves spiritually.
Sometimes simple human error can cause us to make mistakes leading us to do one thing when we should have done another. This in turn can cause us to think that what we are trying to do isn’t working or that something is broken and can’t work. Sometimes we may even think that we are broken and can’t be fixed. In the end, all of this may lead us to believe that we should give up on our goals and dreams and what God has in store for us because whatever we are doing just isn’t working. I have good news for you…God is still on the throne and still has a plan for you. You just may not be praying for the right thing!
In my situation, there was nothing wrong with the crockpot, the coffeemaker or the outlet that provided the energy for the appliances to work. I just hadn’t plugged in the right appliance in the outlet which could have given that appliance the power it needed to work.
When we take a closer look at this situation, this can represent prayer and what we are praying for. I had heard a sermon on the radio the other day that talked about prayer. Sometimes it may seem like the doors are closed to something and no matter what you do, you can’t open them. This is when you have to get on your face in prayer and pray for what you want and be patient until either you get it or until the Lord firmly tells you “no”. Another thing to be observant of is timing. Is the timing right for you have have what you are seeking such as that job, that ministry or that healing? Timing is everything and having something at the wrong time can possibly mean we won’t produce good fruit. Sometimes we may have a ministry, a job, or goal that no matter what we do to try and get it off the ground, it just doesn’t move. We do everything we can yet nothing happens. What’s our next step? Quit or go to the Lord in prayer? On the flip side, you have been given a ministry, job, or goal but you don’t feel that drive to move it, to promote it, or to get it off the ground. Do you give up or do you pray for God to give you a boost to get you started? Is the timing right for it? We can even pray and pray many times for something and when we don’t receive it we decide prayer just isn’t working and we call it quits. Whatever the case, for answers to our questions, we must seek God diligently in prayer.
Now lets take a closer look at the crockpot and the coffeemaker. Both have a special purpose. Slow cooking is a process by which foods are put together in a slow cooker or crockpot and are cooked slowly over the course of several hours. By doing this, it provides a wonderful flavor of foods, less work in cooking and a meal ready to serve at the end of the day. When using a crockpot, it requires patience until the food is cooked and able to be eaten. The travel mug coffeemaker provides just the right amount of coffee for one person on the go. It’s inexpensive and provides the coffee in a matter of minutes. When I’m sluggish and a bit tired, coffee provides me the quick boost I need to get me started and is warm and flavorful. When we look at the different purpose of each appliance when properly plugged in, each can provide something that can help us in our day to day life. One can provide a burst of energy at the beginning of the day and the other can provide a nourishing meal at the end of the day. So, when we apply this concept to prayer, when we pray at the beginning of the day (or anytime really) it gives us the burst of energy we need to get us through the day. When we pray and read the Word throughout the day, by the end of the day we may feel satisfied and ready for our next nourishing spiritual meal at the end of the day which will bring warmth to our spirit. However, if we plug the wrong appliance into the outlet we end up with no energy or nourishing meal, which ever one we are trying to receive. In other words, if we fail to pray to God for the proper thing we need at the time it’s needed, we won’t receive what we need to help us with what we are trying to achieve. This can come through human error when we aren’t paying close attention to what we need to pray for. We may think we need to pray for one thing when it’s really for another.
Plugging into God through prayer can be a powerful experience. It can provide the energy and nourishment we need to do what He’s called us to do. It can provide the strength needed to break addictions, setting one free. It can provide the answers we are searching for with our problems. It can provide the direction we need when unsure of which way to move next. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 states we are to “pray without ceasing” We must not only make sure we seek God in prayer, but we must make sure that we are praying for the right thing.
Whatever you are trying to accomplish, take the time to seek God in prayer. Start out your day in prayer to provide you that extra boost to get you moving and keep you moving throughout the day. Ask God to give your goal, ministry or healing that boost it needs to get it going. End the day in prayer, to receive a satisfying, nourishing meal that will hold you throughout the night. Let not one day go by that you don’t take the time to seek God in prayer so you can be filled up on a daily basis. In prayer and patience, we will begin to see doors open up and receive answers to our prayers.