When We’re Powerless – Where Can We Turn?
Power outages are such an interruption. I’m so accustomed to electricity, water, heat and our routine, that when a storm shuts life down, I feel jolted by the inconvenience. A powerful storm came up the coast a few weeks ago, leaving much of New England without electricity. Two trees fell across power lines blocking the road on both sides of my home. I felt shut off from the world. Yes, I was powerless.
My days were filled with wondering when the power would come back on.
Life Without Power
Each morning I woke up to a dark house; my husband started the generator, plugged in the refrigerator, and added water to the tank to flush the toilet. Then unplug the fridge. Plug in a lamp. Plug in the kettle to heat water…
The longer the power is out, the more efficient we get, but it never runs smoothly. The first day or two we fumble around, tripping over one another. But by day number four, we have settled into a powerless routine.
A small propane generator allowed us to run the refrigerator every few hours. We plugged in a couple of things at a time to help ease the burden, especially when darkness fell. A table lamp and a hot plate became our means of comfort.
Navigating the tangled mishmash of cords felt like the scene from the movie, The Christmas Story as Darren McGavin tried to figure out what was plugged into where, while trying not to blow a fuse.
I have compiled a storm preparedness checklist for you – things I have learned through the storms here in New England. Download it here.
Our first dinner-by-darkness consisted of sautéed onions and hamburger hastily cooked on a hotplate we set up on the porch (plugged into the generator). Once it cooked, I added a can of baked beans to create a stew that cowboys would have sopped off of tin plates with stale bread. It wasn’t bad, and our ciabatta bread was fresh.
When I Feel Powerless
Juggling and living daily life without power is exhausting. Simple tasks seem to take twice as long to accomplish.
It’s the same with my spiritual life. Sometimes I get worn out trying to do life in my own strength. I expend all kinds of energy without much return, and I get discouraged.
Sometimes I get worn out trying to do life in my own strength. #Powerless Share on X
That’s when God bops me on the head and says, “Hey. Remember Me?”
My power is perfected in weakness.
And I am the One who supplies all of your needs.
I have called you to abide because without Me, you can do nothing.
Oh yeah, that!
It took four days without power to help me remember He is my source for everything. He is all-powerful even when I am powerless.
God is all-powerful even when I feel powerless. Share on X
Looking at the Word – Power
The Greek word for power is dunamis. We get the English words Dynamite and Dynamic from this root word.
According to J.D. Watson is his book, A Word for the Day: Keywords from the New Testament, power/dunamis is used over 100 times in the New Testament.
It means raw power, the ability to do wonders, and that which overcomes any resistance.
Dunamis is used twice in this verse from Ephesians 3:20
“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,”
Just read that a few times…far more…abundantly beyond…all that we ask…
It’s like Paul is saying:
“Not only can God do more than enough, and above and beyond more than enough, but even more than above and beyond more than enough…
All this is still inadequate to describe the power of God…the same power that works in us.” (Pg. 61 A Word for the Day, Watson)
Something to ponder when we feel powerless.
I am still learning how to do life under His power. How about you?
Jeanne
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Photos by Jeanne, collages created in Canva
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