No Service!

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” —John 15:4 ESV

The words “No service” stared back at me. It was one o’clock in the morning. I was on a trip and planned to return to the airport the next day. Admittedly, I panicked. How will I get a ride? I won’t be able to contact anyone, you know the drill. Then I did the one thing I always do when an electronic device fails, I turned it off. Only after I saw those beautiful, little bars reappear in the upper right corner was I able to sleep.

Unfortunately, I am very dependent on my phone! This small computer connects me to many good things, and I am grateful. But what does it look like to be connected to God—to walk so close to Him that you hear and understand His voice and obey? (Is there an App for that?) No. But there is a way to measure when it comes to our connection with God. “The service bars” are called the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22b-23a ESV). This fruit can only be found in hearts deluged with Living Water.

I would like to say that I freak out when I’m disconnected from God, but I usually don’t notice until I behave badly or feel as dry as a desert in July. If I missed my time with God as much as I miss my phone when it doesn’t work, I would never be without spiritual “service”! What’s so maddening is that I do know that Jesus never wanders off. He’s always right there with me … His Spirit is never the problem. He wants to flood us with power!

Jesus said the Spirit works like the wind—we never know which way it will blow. But, once He enters through your heart-shaped window, He is there forever. He not only becomes a part of you, He breathes new life into a formerly dead soul! After that, it’s up to you and me to remain plugged into the source of life. I never forget to recharge my cell phone, why would I ever forget to recharge my Spirit and seek Him daily? Why doesn’t He just make us connect with Him, you might ask. Because we are in a relationship with Jesus. Like a marriage there is a cultivation process that takes place for us to feel close, to help each other, and to act as one. It’s the same way with Jesus. He wants to help me and guide me. But all too often I Google my directions and look at my calendar for my marching orders.But God gives us a better way. Like Jesus, our every move could be directed by our Abba Father. Every word from our mouths, every interaction with others, every prayer, and every thought could be led by God and even glorify Him because the Holy Spirit abides in us—like a SIM card in a cell phone that can never be removed. We just need to purpose to keep ourselves in an area where the signal is strong, not forsaking the coming together, prayer, time in His Word, meditating, waiting on God’s Spirit to move, and seeking first the Kingdom of God.

Because of Jesus, you can never be lost. Because of Jesus, you always have access to Abba Father through the Holy Spirit. But what if, like my phone, we have no service or feel cut off from communication? When this happens, a reboot is the only solution. Since I don’t seem to have an off button, I do the next best thing: Be still. For some reason this reconnects me. Whether it’s through prayer, reading the Bible with the Lord, or sincerely working through a devotional, just that one little act of sitting at His feet reconnects me to Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. “Be still and know that I am God.” Reboot! Only then can you sense God’s presence and follow where He leads.

The Secret
by Ralph Spaulding Cushman

 I met God in the morning
When my day was at its best,
And His presence came like sunrise,
Like a glory in my breast.

 All day long the Presence lingered,
All day long He stayed with me;|
And we sailed in perfect calmness
O’er a very troubled sea.

Other lives were blown and battered,
Other lives were sore distressed,
But the winds that seem to drive them
Bring to us a peace and rest. 

Then I thought of other mornings,
With a keen remorse of mind,
When I too had loosed the moorings,
With the Presence left behind.

 So I think I know the secret,
Learned from many a troubled way:
You must seek Him in the morning,
If you want Him through the day!

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace in believing, that you may abound in hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13 NJKV).

Marlene McKenna

Sweet Selah Ministries

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

 Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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