Welcome to Wednesday’s PoGBlog! Please read Day 4 in Why Pray, entitled, “Prayer is Filling the Gas Tank.”
I like word pictures. So of course I really liked the Author’s word picture in today’s entry of pushing his car past the gas station because he was too busy to stop. This really got my attention. His comparison of Prayerless Christians pushing through life without stopping to pray “zinged” the point into my conscience and heart. Ugh. How many minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years even, have I foolishly grunted and groaned through life’s hills and obstacles all alone – because I was too busy to pray? Zing! Point taken.
Okay. That was good. Take time to stop and pray. Don’t try to go through life without being yoked to Jesus. That is like pushing my car past the gas station. Nice. Got it. Done.
But then – on page 41 the author gives TEN Scripture passages to look up! What? TEN? That is going to take a long time! I am in a hurry. Zing! I wasn’t going to take the time to look up the passages, to see what God had to say. Zing.
However, it is my turn to facilitate the PogBlog! So I felt like I probably should “bother” to look up the passages. So I did. I looked them up. I wrote them down. I was “stuck.” What do these verses have to do with the gasoline story? The gasoline illustration was just fine the way it was. Why these passages, too? Why so many? What are You saying to me? Zing. Take time.
I stopped. I decided it was time to get some gas. But not in the “hurry up kind of way” that I usually stop for gas. You know what I mean… stopping at the gas station at break-neck speed, “cramming” the credit card through the slot, punching in the zip code, shoving the handle into the tank, filling it at full speed, punching “no” to the car wash (because I don’t have time), punching “no” to the receipt (because it takes too long), and zipping off in the car as fast as possible.
So, even though it will make my PoGBlog too long – and even though it will take a long time to type out the verses, I will write out five of the ten Scriptures for you…just in case you are in too big of a hurry to look them up, too! Maybe you will be inspired to look up the other five for yourself!
John 15:4 “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.” (Hmm… I guess I need to stop for gas / prayer if I expect to remain in You, Lord, right?)
Luke 1:15 For he (John the Baptist) will be great in the sight of the Lord…he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. (Hmm… if he had not been filled with the Holy Spirit, would he have been able to make ready a people prepared for the Lord?)
Luke 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert. (Hmm…did Jesus, the Son of God need to be filled with the Holy Spirit before He was tested in the wilderness for 40 days?)
Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly. (Is it because of the Holy Spirit that they were able to speak with boldness?)
Acts 13:9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas (a sorcerer) and said…. (So, was it because Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit that he was able to defeat the sorcerer’s cunning schemes?)
Again, what do these verses have to do with the gasoline story? The Author says, “We are called to cooperate with the Holy Spirit…so that every aspect of our being may surrender to and be saturated with His holy presence.” “That we are to be yoked to Him – and when that happens, His power flows into us.” The people in these verses are “saturated” with His holy presence, and have His power flowing in them – empowering them for the work God had planned for them to do that day! Oh, how I want to be saturated with that kind of Holy Spirit presence, too!
I think I am getting the point. I need to stop and pray, to stay connected to Him, to remain in Him, so that He can fill me with the Holy Spirit.
So today, when I Stop and Pray – it won’t be in order to just check it off my list… “Devotion – done – check.” “PogBlog – done – check.” “Prayer time – done – check.” No. I think it means, that when I stop and pray, God will be filling me up with more than a check-mark for my list. He is filling me up with the Holy Spirit empowering me for the road ahead.
Further Scripture for Today – Matthew 11:25-30
At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was Your good pleasure.
“All things have been committed to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Thoughts to Ponder:
To whom or what are you really yoked for daily strength, friendship, and direction?
Are you willing to be yoked to Jesus?
dawn