Liz Dumain

Have you ever run the petrol in a car down so low that the indicator light was flashing? I got a new car recently - and not only does the light flash when the fuel is low, but it 'beeps' at me, which is certainly enough to get even my attention.......

Once on a Bank holiday - before my 'beeping' car - I set off for home with not quite enough petrol in the tank, but confident that I'd be able to get some on the way - but every petrol station I drove past was closed, had run out of petrol or was on the other side of the dual carriageway.

I'll never forget the rising panic as I realised that I was well on the way to actually running out of petrol and being stranded for the night (or even worse - having to ring my Dad and tell him how stupid I'd been!!)

Have you ever had that feeling? When you know you need to keep going but inside you're dry, dusty and running on empty. You need to get something done but you're just not sure you can? You know you want to worship God, be close to Him, receive from Him - but you are just so tired......

I am always quite envious of people who have a contemplative spirit, and seem to be able to 'just be' with God - I find 'being still and knowing that He is God' extremely challenging as I'm one of those people who likes to be constantly on the go - but I have come to realise that there's no point 'doing stuff' for God all the time if my prayer life, my inner life with God isn't happening. I need to find ways to spend time in God's presence, drawing on His strength, learning from Him, hearing Him speak so that I have the energy, the passion, the wisdom & the discernment to do what I'm doing.

There's no worse feeling than setting out on something, only to discover that you're empty when around the corner - in that place of 1:1 with God, He is waiting to pour forgiveness, strength, wisdom and goodness into the dry and dusty corners of my life.

So lets commit to finding those ways of drawing back to God and being filled, soaked, drenched in His presence - even those of us who are not natural contemplatives - it's still possible to know the wonder and fulfillment of spending time just soaking in His presence - if and when we make it a priority.

I didn't want to run out of petrol, grind to a halt and have to confess all to my Dad that day - and yet I know that I'm not alone in having done that with my heavenly Father. Whenever that happens, he comes quietly, fills abundantly, and forgives graciously - and I suspect rolls his eyes and sighs lovingly........

'We are never taller than when we are on our knees. We are never stronger than when we are confessing our weaknesses. We are never bolder in public than when we are quiet before God in private.' - Rick Ezell