“One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Luke 9:1-2 (NLV)
The disciples have just been sent out by Jesus to heal and cast out demons. They have seen Jesus raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead, heal the sick and quiet the storm and yet when they are faced with the needs of 5,000 plus people their solution is to send all the people to overwhelm the nearby town.
But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick.
Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.” Luke 9:11-12 (NLV)
And even after Jesus says, “No, don’t send them away, feed them.” They still are clueless as to what they should do.
It’s as if, all that they have seen and heard completely fades into the background and all they can think about is the problem they have at hand – how are they going to feed all of these people? And there sits Jesus in their midst.
My neighbor got up one morning only to find that the light in his refrigerator was out. So he jumped in his car and drove 20 minutes to Home Depot to get another bulb. When he arrived home and exchanged the light bulb, the light still did not work! It was then that he noticed that the clock on his microwave wasn’t on and as he looked around the kitchen he realized that the power was out in his house!
It didn’t matter what he did or how many bulbs he changed in his house. If his house wasn’t plugged into the power source none of them would work.
In the same way the disciples chose not to look to their Power Source. All they could see was their insurmountable problem – they didn’t see Jesus as the Answer.
Aaah, how often do we do that!
A family member is cruel and vindictive and we immediately get on the phone to discuss our situation with a friend. The dishwasher breaks down and since we don’t have any money we drive to the bank to take out a loan. We struggle with anger and join a self-help program to deal with the problem. What are we doing? Running around changing the light bulbs in our house but not plugging into the power source. We can turn on our switches all day long but it won’t do any good unless we’re plugged into the TRUE power source.
It’s not wrong to get help in a situation but why do we turn to God as a last resort, instead of going to Him at the start? Why do we feel that praying and taking things to God is insignificant in light of being able to DO something. What keeps us from turning immediately to God in our time of desperation?
Because deep down inside, if we’re willing to admit it, we feel that God really won’t answer or that He isn’t big enough for our problem or that we can handle it better on our own.
And just like the disciples we choose to ignore Jesus and all that He has done to prove to us who He is and we attempt to handle things on our own.
Fortunately for us, Jesus is a patient and loving God! Look at how long suffering He was with the disciples as they grew in their understanding of Him and so He is with us!!! Praise God!
What about you? Are you running around “changing light bulbs and turning on switches” and have neglected to plug yourself into the Power Source? Are you hoping to “fix” your life and then come to Jesus? He is the only TRUE fixer!
So stop running and plug yourself into the only TRUE POWER SOURCE there is – JESUS!
Heavenly Father, teach us how to live through Your power and not in our own strength. When we are faced with a difficult situations teach us to go to You first and seek Your way. Keep our eyes, our hearts and our minds fixed on You, our only true source of power. Amen
By Kristi Huseby
Used by Permission
Further Reading
• Where Your Choices Can Lead You – Frank Krause story
• My Son’s Addictions and My Prayer by Pat Veal
• Salvation Explained