POWER SOURCE!

As I made my way through my house I could hardly miss stepping on cords of every size, length and color, they were hooked to phones, iPods, and laptops. This is always a sign that my kids are home for a visit so I love these cords for this reason. It occurred to me this morning, that these bits of technology all seek the same thing.....POWER! Thirty years ago these little gadgets would be stuff of our imaginations and never a reality. But as great as they are, they run out of POWER! Who has not been filled with fear as the little battery at the top of the screen starts to show empty when we are far from the power source?

I remember "POWER Rangers", I know those people who "POWER walk" and we hear much about the POWERful people. We run from the POWER hungry, we are impressed with those in POWER and our hearts break over the POWERless in our society!

At times, power slips through my fingers like sand! I find myself weak and POWERless. If humans were equipped with that pesky little battery on their foreheads, mind would be blinking most of the time.

One of my favorite stories in the bible is about a woman who went from one doctor to another with a bleeding disorder until she had spent all of her money. As she gave her last cent for a cure, but as no cure was found, POWER slipped through her fingers. She was desperate to find an answer to her suffering. At daybreak she found herself in a crowd of people following Jesus as he was healing and doing miracles. With all her money and all her hope gone, she was among the POWERless!

Her only hope, she surmised, was to touch his garment. So even though her frail frame was so very thin, she felt so heavy as she moved toward Jesus. There were some who moved aside as they recognized her as the “unclean” while others were unaware as they clamored for Jesus. As she reached out and touched the hem of His robe she felt life giving power surge through her weary body. Have you ever felt that kind of life changing POWER come into your situation?

I can imagine this woman stopped in her tracks looking at her hands as the pale skin turned to a healthy pink and her face flushed as life giving blood returned to her body. I think she probably stood straighter as strength returned to her bent frame. Her thoughts, and her emotions twirled in her head like a merry-go-round as years of suffering fell from her being. Her thoughts were soon interrupted abruptly by the Master’s voice! “Who touched me?” The bible says Jesus felt POWER go out of Him and knew he had been touched. This poor soul who held hope in her hands for the first time in twelve years could now envision it slipping through her fingers. Feeling the eyes of the almighty on her, she stepped forward trembling in fear. As she looked into the loving eyes of her Heavenly Father, his words flooded over her as His “healing” had done minutes earlier. “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." (Mark 5:34 NIV)

As I look around at the cords, silently powering the technical wonders that we so often count on, I think of my POWER source. I thrill at the thought of touching His garment just one more time as the power is drained from my very being. As joy sometimes becomes a stranger and strength is diminished I strain to reach the hem of Him who can give us POWER!

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak. (Isaiah 40:29 NIV)