Filling Your Tank

It was a hot Saturday afternoon. I'd put it off long enough. It was time to just get it done. Time to mow the grass.

I really don't mind mowing the grass. It is usually my husband's chore but, every now and then I get out there with the mower and cut the lawn. The one part I dread is filling the gas tank.

I'm messy. Gasoline is smelly. So, I often take a peek inside the gas tank, eyeball the gas level, replace the cap and hope for the best. If the tank is full, there is more than enough to mow the entire lawn. If the tank is half full, there is still enough. Somewhere below the halfway mark is the critical level for running out of gas.

The funny thing is that I never do this with my car. For some reason, the gas pumps at the convenience store are just that- convenient. I am able to fill the tank of my car much easier with those high-tech pumps than with that messy, flimsy red gas tank in the garage.

On this particular day, the gasoline in the mower was at the critical level. I nearly finished with the front lawn when the mower began to sputter. It coughed and hacked and I kept mowing, pushing the mower faster to try and finish. Finally it went kaput. Out of gas.

If I had started my task with a full tank, I never would have run out of gas. I could have kept mowing, and finished with a nicely maintained lawn.

Our prayer life works the same way.

Sure, we make a point to pray before a Sunday School lesson or a meeting. We pray for a sick friend or when we are headed out of town on a trip. But prayer life is a lot like gas tanks. You can't pick and choose when to "fill your tank."

Jesus began His day with prayer.

"And in the morning, rising up a great while before the day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." Mark 1: 35

Notice that Jesus didn't say a quick prayer of "Lord, help me today with all I have to do. Amen," on His way out the door. His effort to take time in prayer was purposeful.

Jesus made a point to get away and have time alone with God. This is difficult for us today, especially for busy moms. It takes an effort to be alone at all. Look at your day and find some time to be alone with God.

Prayer is so important to our everyday lives. Prayer is not meant to be a quick fix to top off our tanks. It is meant to fill our spiritual life, to give us the energy we need, and most importantly, to bring us closer to God.

Check your tank. Are you at that critical level? Don't let yourself sputter and hack and go kaput. Take time each day with the Father; begin your day with a full tank. Your lawn may not reap the benefits of a full prayer life, but your relationship with God will.

"Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessaolonians 5: 17

In Him,
Melanie

Reflections:
1. How has your life been affected by prayer?

2. Do have a specific time set aside each day to pray?



Join Melanie at her personal blogspot, "This Ain't New York."