Filling the Tank!

Several years ago, a friend of mine and I went hunting on a bitter cold morning.  We braved the weather in hopes it would be a great morning to hunt – we had no idea the adventure that awaited us!  As we started our drive, we noticed that the truck sounded rough.  It was making all sorts of noises until finally it shut down.  After several minutes of trying to figure out what had happened, I suddenly realized it was out of gas!

That experience taught me something:  if you don’t fill the tank, you will not reach your destination!  I have found the same is true in our Christian lives as well.  If we don’t take the time to fill the tank, we will not reach our destination.  In Mark 1 we find Jesus in the middle of a great outpouring of power:  people were being healed, saved, and delivered.  However in verse 35, we find that early in the morning, Jesus arose to go pray.  In essence, Jesus was filling his tank before He started a new day. 

Life has a way of draining us.  Our schedules are such that we “go” to the point of exhaustion.  When we push through the exhaustion without taking a moment to fill our tank, we experience frustration, anger, and overwhelming stress.  However, when we take the time to fill our tank through prayer, we suddenly find the means to keep running.  You see, prayer is more than just bringing God a list of things that we need from him:  it is a time where we learn to draw on His strength, His guidance, and His wisdom.