“He gives power to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted, but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition)
This is your Monday Short meditation! For first time visitors to this site, you can look for little expositions as you embark on a new week. They are intended to be short, but sometimes, there is a short story that stretches the length of the meditation. Such may be the case today. Smile!
The year was 2011. I was teaching a senior level leadership course at an off-campus site for a major university. The class met once a week for three hours. A little after the first hour of the session on a particular night, the power parted ways, took an unscheduled leave of absence. Yes, the power went out at this satellite building. It was dark and there was no power.
We were having one of those classes where student participation was great and the interactions between students was genuine and intense due to different perspectives and opposing points of view. We looked out the window and saw multiple cars pulling out of the student parking lot. Other classes had been dismissed by their professors, but we were so engaged that not one student wanted to leave. So, we continued, resourceful students using their cellphones to provide some light. Suddenly, the administrator in charge of the building entered the room and said that we had to leave the building. He said, “When there is no light and power, you have to leave, primarily for safety reasons.” We followed the administrator’s directive.
You know what? The same situation, from a spiritual perspective, happens on our journey through the classroom called life. For there are times when we will find ourselves without light and no power. This is primarily because at times, we are not dependent on the secured source that ensures both light and power. Be thankful that the Great Administrator of all the earth, our great and gracious, Almighty God on high is like the administrator in the halls of higher education in the true story above. Be grateful that He who sits high and looks low will counsel us on what to do when we are not living in the light and are lacking power. As a matter of fact, He is doing so today by means of the opening and closing verses, providing words written by divine inspiration to help us leave dark places and depart immediately from spaces that lack power. Meditate on them before you get on your way this morning. Be blessed!
“Once again Jesus spoke to the people. This time he said, “I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won’t be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life.” (John 8:12 Contemporary English Version)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King