Reconnecting
Reconnecting
Have you ever attempted a spiritual task under your own steam? There have been more than a couple of times when I have either given my testimony, or spoken on some topic from the Bible, fully aware that I was doing so apart from the power of God.
On those occasions I have sounded absolutely hollow. More than that, I have felt hollow. Even though sharing powerful truths from God’s Word, I knew that my words lacked any power whatsoever.
It’s strange when that happens. It’s an odd feeling of being separated from myself somehow … like something is disconnected. Sometimes, right in the middle of what I’m saying, I will breathe a silent prayer of repentance. From that point on, I can easily tell the difference between my efforts and God’s energy working through me.
David speaks truly in Psalm 22:29: “None can keep alive his own soul” (KJV). What a mechanical thing life becomes when we attempt to live a supernatural life apart from supernatural power. Prayer becomes dull. Relationships sag under the weight of selfishness. Our jobs seem like robotic routine. Witnessing becomes an unpleasant duty. Doing some act of kindness feels like a tiresome chore. When we try to “keep alive our own soul,” we fail miserably.
Could it be that life has seemed so smooth for you lately because you’ve been feeling a little self-sufficient? Maybe you’ve conquered a certain temptation by the grace of God, and you’d like very much to pat yourself on the back. “You’ll never catch me doing that again!” you tell yourself.
Or perhaps you catch yourself thinking, “Well, I understand how business operates, and there’s no need to wait upon God for direction in so simple a matter.”
Hear again the words of the psalmist: “None can keep alive his own soul.”
Consider the plea of the apostle: “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus … Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:11, 4).
We wouldn’t think of pushing our car up and down the freeway whenever we wanted to go somewhere—not when all that power is available to us at the turn of a key. It’s just as absurd to think we can live our Christian lives apart from the hour-by-hour, moment-by-moment empowering of our Lord Jesus.