We spent last night without power. This is something we are used to here in Western Arkansas. Tornados are a common occurrence, severe weather is normal, and it keeps the electric company pretty busy in the storm season. It is so common that when the tornado sirens go off most people head to the front porch to check it out for themselves. But this time, the wind caused branches to fall and a power line in our back yard broke resulting in us being without power for over 24 hours.

Life goes on and we have been trying to do different chores around the house while the sun is out. But it doesn’t fail, I walk into the house or open a door to a room and the first thing I do is flip the light switch. Even knowing that we don’t have power, this action is ingrained in my brain and muscles. I feel like a complete idiot every time I do it. Not only that but it is amazing how many of our everyday actions depend on having power in our houses. While the sun was up, we could limp along and still operate in some form or fashion. But once the sun went down we realize how dependent we are on power for our way of life.

Our normal life is dependent on electricity. So much so that a few hours without it and life starts to look different. Phones start to run out of charge. Alarms for the morning don't go off. Devices that we are so used to distracting kids are no longer available. Refrigerators start to get warm. And when the sun goes down, we head to bed. 

While we can look at this modern western life dependent on electricity and say “first world problems,” it can also teach us some things about dependence. We are raised in an independent society that tells us not to rely on anyone or anything but yourself. If we take a quick look at our lives, we will see we are dependent, even when we claim we are not.

The problem is not our dependence, but rather what we are dependent on. We need to train ourselves back to an awareness of our dependence on God. We are dependent on Him and we should live out that dependence with trust and faith. We should express that dependence with prayer, acknowledging that we can’t do it on our own and we don’t have it all together.

We should be so dependent on God that our first ingrained action should be to pray to Him when times get tough or even when we start a new day. Like my hand automatically reaching out to flip the light switch, so our minds and hearts should be reaching out to God. We should be so dependent on God that our days only function and run because of Him. We should have an awareness of how He is at work in our lives because we know we need Him.

Rely on God. Be dependent on Him. Know that you need Him every minute of every day. This dependence will change how you approach your Bible reading. It is not something to check off that helps us know the One on whom we rely. This helps us in our prayer life. It is not a boring time of talking to yourself but rather a time connecting with the One whom you need. This helps us understand our good works. They are not something we bring to the table, but rather something that is done through the power of the One who works within us for His glory.

Depend on God for His power will never go out.