When we travel, one of the first things I pack are charging cables. Then I add in charging packs to carry around with us in case our batteries go down while we are away from the hotel. At the airport, there’s always a group of people sitting around a charging pole and people sitting on the floor next to outlets. We have become obsessed with staying charged so we can stay connected. We think about our phone batteries needing to be recharged, but we don’t think about ourselves needing to be recharged. We exert lots of effort physically, mentally and spiritually daily and we need to find ways to recharge those parts of ourselves, in particular our spirit.
In 1 Kings 18, Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal in a showdown on Mount Carmel. Just after this victory, Jezebel came after him to kill him. He fled into the wilderness about a day. In 1 kings 19:4 he prayed, “I have had enough, Lord.Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died” (NLT). He needed a recharge in that moment. He was spiritually exhausted from the showdown, physically exhausted from fleeing and mentally exhausted from the stress of running for his life. God didn’t rebuke him for needing a recharge. Instead he sent him an angel who watched over him, fed him and encouraged him to get more rest. Then sent him on a journey to have an encounter with God. After that recharge, he was given more assignments.
Isaiah 40:29 says, “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.” God wants your internal batteries charged as well. The next verse says that even youth get tired and young people get exhausted. But those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. We get recharged from the inside out by spending time with the Lord. Our spirit needs to be connected to God. In such a busy world where we are concerned about everything else getting charged, when is the last time you recharged your spirit? God gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless when we take the time to sit in His presence, worship at His feet and are still enough to hear His voice. Don’t walk around with an empty spiritual battery. Stay recharged.
Photo by Harrison Chang on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 