Several years ago I was working night shift in Indianapolis. On one night in particular, I was flat broke; I had no money at all. Not even enough for a Snickers for lunch. I was OK with that, but the problem came when it was time for the drive home. The gas gauge was just above "E" and it was a 33 mile drive from the parking lot to my driveway. I spent those 33 miles with one eye on the road, one eye on the gas gauge, and one eye looking to Heaven praying for help. My prayer was simple: "God, if you can turn water to wine, surely you can turn air into gasoline!" As I passed each exit - Raymond St, Keystone Ave, Southport Rd. - I was thankful that I had at least made it that far. I was steadily getting closer to home, but the gas gauge was refusing to cooperate, creeping closer and closer to the danger zone. As I passed the last exit before the one I needed I thought to myself, "Well, at least now I'm close enough to walk." I sang my praise to the Lord as I finally took my exit, almost incredulous that I had made it home.
I went straight to bed. When I woke up that afternoon, a startling thought occurred to me. I checked my wallet, and I could do nothing but laugh at myself. I don't do this anymore, but I used to cash my paycheck, then take a $20 bill, fold it up, and hide it behind my driver's license in case of "emergencies" - like, say, needing gas money to get home from work. Sure enough, I looked and the $20 was there. Not only did I have gas money, I could have gotten that Snickers that I so desperately needed. The lesson that day was simple - I'm an idiot.
But that got me to thinking - how often do we as Christians go through our lives like that? We sometimes struggle just to get through the day, thinking we'll make it only by the skin of our teeth, when the whole time we have access to the abundant blessings that our Father has for us. We pray, "God, give me strength for the day!" while His Word says in Romans 8:37, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." We struggle with temptation, feeling like we will never be victorious, when Hebrews 4:15-16 tells us, "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need." There are many reasons for this, but I believe one of them is the simple fact that we fail to realize that God has already given us many of the things we think we have to beg Him for. God doesn't want us going through life praying in fear that we make it; He has given us great and precious promises that we can live a life that's filled with joy, peace, and victory - even in those times when we feel like we're "running out of gas."
Child of God, He is for you. The Bible says in Romans 8:31, "What shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" You don't have to go through life on "E" hoping you make it home. Stop and "look in your wallet" - if you are a child of God, you have more than what you need to make it. Victory, peace and joy can be yours. Now enjoy the trip home.
You can even have a Snickers while you're at it.
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