The first time I overheard the remark, from where I sat at the back of the tourist bus, I was a bit puzzled by it. “I’m down to 15%,” the man dryly told his female companion. I wasn’t eaves-dropping, or so I thought. But when I heard it, I found myself processing this strange saying. “What could he be referring to?” The conversation in my head never came to any conclusion, as I was suddenly jerked back to reality when the bus came to our stop.
We went from site to historic site. On one stretch, through the crowd, I heard, “I’m at 11%. I’ve got to find a charging station.”
“I know what you mean, buddy,” I thought to myself, feeling the fatigue from miles of sight-seeing. Curiosity captured my attention yet again.
And a few minutes later another voice chimed, “I’m at 8%, we better get back to the hotel.”
There it was again. “The numbers seem to be going down,” I thought to myself.
“Oh, now I get it,” I chided my slow self. I suddenly felt eons behind the times—like an aging alien in a foreign land.
By the fourth time this now familiar comment rang in my ears, I was downright fascinated by it. And I smiled toward heaven, with a nod of thanksgiving.
I was thankful at the reminder that God’s power is readily available and never depleted. With a mere plea (or guttural groan), He is pleased to provide. And He never falls short. (As I can readily testify from experience on several occasions, not just our marathon tour of DC!)
But the real beauty of it? We don’t have to try to find the right location. Or be tethered. His power is available and accessible and can be “downloaded” as we go about our way—in uninterrupted freedom.
On the last leg of our last day, we opted to hop on a bus to take us to the other end of the mall. The kids wanted to catch one that had charging outlets built into the seats, since their phones were about dead. As we road along, feet throbbing, the kids were plugged in—getting enough of a charge to get them back to our destination. And mom? Well, I just placed myself before God Almighty in prayer. I knew I needed to recharge my energy level for another long jaunt back. But I also knew I didn’t have to be tied down to a certain spot to receive. Not only was He all the strength I needed, He could recharge on the fly.
Q: When have you found yourself depleted, only to have God show up with strength sufficient for the task?