The power is going to be turned off in your area. There’s been a red flag warning issued for high winds and we’ll be turning off power to keep everyone safe. Do not touch downed lines because they may be live and dangerous. Power will be restored when all lines have been inspected and safety can be guaranteed again. We don’t know when that will be so please activate your emergency plan now.
I’m not sure the exact wording of text, phone, or email messages, but that’s the gist of communication from the electric company this week. “Power will be shut off so activate your emergency plans.” This is not a message I love to get. This is not one of those “message in a bottle” dream moments. It’s not a good surprise, it’s just a surprise. I appreciated the safety efforts and knowing communication systems had been set up since the last disaster, but I was not amused with the news power would cease. It sounds petty and grumpy, but I wasn’t in the mood for a cold dark house with no water, nor was I in the mood for a loss of income and a gain of spoiled food. Good reasons or bad, it caused stress. As time went on the first night, the winds picked up and I began to appreciate safety measures and remember evacuating during last years October wild fires. I understood having no power and I was very grateful for a cold home instead of a burned home. I was resolved to relax and let things run their course. But as more time went by the next morning, the winds stayed calm and away. They also stayed calm and away that night and the whole next day. Mother nature offered clear blue skies, full brilliant sun, and birds chirping, but no untamed winds and no clips of gusty gales ever returned. Neither did the power. Mother world, however, offered frustrated people with quandaries and questions across several Northern California counties. It looked safe and felt safe, yet we were at the mercy of the electric company to decide. There was no generator for stress and no generator for frustration or confusion. There was no generator for interruption of life; emotionally or mentally. There was only the situation at hand and an influx of ice bags and generator gas being purchased to fix what could be fixed.
My husband and I spent those two days together instead of apart. His office shut down due to power and my routine shut down to accommodate Plan B. Time together was nice, but we weren’t able to enjoy connecting. We dropped normal life and powered up emergency life. We dropped normal stresses and powered up emergency stresses. Most of all, we got another reminder of how to power up better preparations for the unknown and where to take an overworked generator to get fixed. Our daughter learned generators run schools, but they don’t run internet at home to do school work. I talked to several people who vacillated back and forth from good sportsmanship to bad patience. Are we ever good at emergencies in private even if we’re good at them in public? Are we ever consistent in being prepared, and what exactly do we see as “prepare” items?
The one thing I wish I was better at ANYTIME is plugging into prayer. It’s so easy to get caught up reacting and setting up obvious fixes when there’s an emergency, but I wish I was better at setting up obvious faith when there’s no emergency pushing me to quickly rely on Jesus. My life has emergencies every day because I’m living in a world of choices and sins, influences and irritations. I don’t want to fight outside faith. I want to fight inside faith. My life needs prayer plugging every day because I’m not equipped to go it alone. I don’t want to go it alone. I don’t want to be equipped to go it alone. I want the Shepherd to do it with me. My life needs prayer plugging because there’s power of love there and I crave that love and support to push me through. I’ll be honest with you. I don’t always know how to prayer plug, but I’m slowly learning the “how” isn’t as big a deal as I think it is. I’m the one concerned with that “how,” not Him. It’s the “what” He wants to hear. It’s the “what” He can lead. It’s the “what” He loves. Not prayer plugging isn’t an option and not prayer plugging enough isn’t working. My soul craves something more and I’m finding “He” is the something more. It feels better and it feels good.
What are you plugged into? Is it working for you? When you get to the end of your day, emergency or not, is it working for you? Does life feel good how you’re doing it? Are you half plugged into prayer like I’ve experienced? Choosing Jesus doesn’t just mean to love Him, it means to let Him. Let Him hear your prayers. Let Him hear your personal and worldly emergencies. Let Him hear your praise and problems. Let Him hear your lack of faith and let Him hear your hard time with trust. Let Him in so He can be Him. My prayers have gotten pretty basic. Sometimes I just sit and say “I don’t know what to say today, I don’t feel good.” Sometimes I sit and say “It’s Heather and I need to know how to do Heather today.” Still others, I sit and say “I’m all in for you and me today Lord.” It’s your time with Jesus to say whatever you want to say. It’s His time with you to build what He wants to build in you. He loves you. Dearly and deeply He loves you. I want to plug into prayer and praise a lot more often so I can be better at letting Him do all the things I’m not prepared to do alone and all the things He’s prepared to fully do with me. I want to power up on the dearly and deeply love He feels. I believe that will fully be my answer to what works in life, emergencies or not. I also believe I will have to re-commit often when I accidentally come and go from the field. I believe He will say yes every time when I plug back in and “let Him be Him” all over again. Dear and deep love does that.
Prayer plugging. Isn’t there something more to do for life’s emergencies? Isn’t there something more to do since the emergencies are growing closer together in this world? There’s only one way to find out. Try it. Unplug anything that’s not working and let it go. Cut the power. Plug into prayer. Let Him hear you talk to Him. Find out what happens. Let Him hear your family talk to Him. Find out what happens. Let Him hear your communities talk to Him together. Find out what happens. Move the power plugs everywhere and anywhere and talk to Him. My mom gave me a card when I was a teenager and I read the cover poem so often it’s been engraved in my head for a very long time. The last line of the poem*, “be at peace, for God is there, you’re not alone.” Prayer plug with Jesus. He loves you dearly and deeply and you are never alone to face any emergency or any lifetime without a Shepherd. Let Him know you don’t want to go it alone. Let Him know.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 | NIV
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”
Jeremiah 29:12 | NIV
*Poem written by Amanda Bradley
Lamb Lines 
AMEN!!!!!
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