Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today we’ll close out this week by recognizing that power belongs to God.

Today’s scripture, Psalms 78:42 (NLT) admonishes…
They did not remember his power and how he rescued them from their enemies.

Consider…
Tuesday morning of this week, Dana and I woke up to tornado warning sirens. Soon after we got situated in our designated storm shelter spot, then our power went off.

Although we lost power to our home, we still had battery power on our phones. That’s when I rediscovered the power of love, because family and friends from all over, immediately began to check on us via text messages and phone calls, to make sure we were safe. Amazingly, when our home when dark, our hearts were lit up with the power of God’s love.

In Philippians 4:14 (NLT), Paul began a shoutout to the Phillipians. Right after He acknowledged he could do everything through Christ’s strength, he told them…
Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.

To the many people that lit us up with God’s love, we say thank you! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

And, we echo Paul’s closing blessing of gratitude for you, which is…
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:19 NLT

This wasn’t the first time that we lost power in our area, so we weren’t worried because the last time there were major power outages was during a storm we affectionately called ‘Snowmageddon’. During that storm we learned that we’re on the same power grid as our local hospital, which meant restoring power to us was one of the highest priorities.

Our overconfidence in our power being restored quickly, due to the fact that it was quickly restored before, had proven to be misguided.

How many of you know that, what God did before doesn’t guarantee what or how He will do it now? Moses learned this fateful lesson when seeking to get more water from a rock. God told him to strike a rock the first time, but speak to it the second time, to access the power of God for provision.

It’s important to remember God’s timing and ways are not ours. Isaiah 55:8 (ERV) explains…
The Lord says, “My thoughts are not like yours. Your ways are not like mine.

Alas, our power outage lasted three days. Wow, writing that just sent a chill down my spine. Death and the grave’s power to hold Jesus also lasted three days. 1 Corinthians 15:3‭-‬4 (NLT) says…I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.

This makes me see the power outage we experienced as the momentary light affliction Paul testifies about in 2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT)…
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

Our momentary power disconnection was just a placeholder for God’s glorified resurrection.

And as I think of our glorified Lord and Savior Jesus Christ being raised from the dead, I am reminded that we possess the same Spirit that raised Him, lives within us…
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. – Romans 8:11 NLT

I guess you could say, that though we were stuck in darkness, the Holy Spirit was steadily re-awakening us to God’s marvelous Light.

Speaking of God’s marvelous light, we also discovered it was only dark at night. You see, during the day, God caused His supernatural sunlight to fill our home with natural light. Jeremiah 31:35 (NLT) testifies…
It is the Lord who provides the sun to light the day and the moon and stars to light the night, and who stirs the sea into roaring waves. His name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies…

What a wonderful reminder that God alone is the source of light in our lives.

As awesome as it was to enjoy the natural sunlight, it’s a good reminder of the Sonlight that should naturally illuminate our hearts and minds for God!

Ephesians 5:8 (NLT) exhorts…
For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!

What a great reminder that the light of Christ within us should shine brightly at all times.

In fact, Jesus tells us…
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. – Matthew 5:14‭-‬16 NLT

No matter how dark it may seem in the nights surrounding your life , remember darkness must always yield to God’s light. Let His Light shine glorious and victorious everywhere you go, with everyone you encounter.

Alas, yesterday our power was restored. I am thankful for the diligent, tireless, hardworking, and thankless efforts of our power company. They were working overtime on our behalf, to bring us out of darkness back into the light. Something that occurred to Dana and I was the fact that the power company prioritized restoring the more easily repairable outages first. They gave light to as many as they could as quickly as possible. For those of us still stuck in darkness, and those witnessing it from the outside, it seemed frustratingly slow. However, it reminds me of 2 Peter 3:8‭-‬9 (NLT)…
But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

Just like the power company’s timing may not have aligned with our desired timing, God’s timing is based on His schedule, not ours.

Like the lyrics to On Time God say…

He may not come when you want Him
But He’ll be there right on time
I’ll tell ya He’s an on time God, yes He is

Knowing we couldn’t rush the power company served as a great reminder that we can’t rush God, we just have to wait on Him. And oh what a blessing we receive by waiting. Isaiah 40:29‭-‬31 (NLT) testifies…
He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Reading that again, inspires me to also testify with Paul about the sufficiency of God’s grace and boasting in my weakness. He said…
But the Lord said, “My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.” So I will gladly boast about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can stay in me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9 ERV

Yes indeed, when we were helpless, God was still helping. In fact, this power outage was a great reminder that…
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. – Romans 5:6 NLT

There are too many lessons to share, that we learned during this power outage. But suffice to say two of the most powerful lessons were…
“O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you! – Jeremiah 32:17 NLT

And…
“I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. – Job 42:2 NLT

The absence of power was a great reminder that power belongs to God!

I would be remis if I didn’t ask you to join me in prayer for 53,000 neighbors still without power in the DFW area as of 7:50 a.m. today. 1,080 of them live in our zip code. Also for the myriad of homeless people who live without the power we take for granted. It’s a good reminder that…
Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. – 1 Peter 3:8 NLT

Lord, thank you for the power outage from Your resource, because it reminded us that You alone are our power Source! Help us share Your power in our lives with others, in Jesus name, Amen 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Today’s song is…
Power Belongs To God

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)