Are You Running on an Empty Tank?

Written By Joy-Ann Wood, West Indies

When I was getting ready to leave the house one day, my father said to me, “Better pump gas in the car, or else you might run out on the highway, you know . . .” I laughed at his comment and replied, “Nah, I got this covered. I’m sure there’s enough gas to take me to my destination and back.”

Despite this reassurance, he still insisted that I top up my fuel tank. Later, as I drove down the highway, I pondered his advice. Could I really make it to my destination and back before the fuel gauge indicator hit “empty”? I had heard stories from a few friends about running out of gas while driving. I could never understand how that could happen, since the indicator always warns you ahead of time that the gas is running out.

This experience parallels our Christian journey. Many times, we take this daring step of travelling on “empty.” Despite knowing we are “empty,” and that we need to spend more time with the Lord, we ignore the Holy Spirit’s nudging. We claim that “we’re okay,” and we tend to be “fine” once we are involved in Christian activities. However, if we lack daily time alone with Jesus, we’re like a car travelling on “empty”, in danger of coming to a sudden halt anytime.

Sometimes, it’s our busy schedules that lead us to running on “empty”. We get engrossed in teaching Sunday school or volunteering in Youth ministry, singing in the choir, or being involved in dance or drama ministry at church. We take the source of our strength for granted and busy ourselves with rushing from one event to another. We fall into the trap of spending less time with God while finding other ways to keep ourselves going. But suddenly, everything comes to a standstill when we burn out or lose sight of our purpose.

Jesus is calling us to spend time with Him, so that we may be strengthened through the power of the Holy Spirit to serve and give our ultimate best for Him. When a car is filled up with gas, it tends to go farther without having to stop suddenly for more gas. If we fill up our spiritual tank with time set aside for God, He will equip us with the power to serve humbly,  persevere through trials, and stay focused on Him for the rest of our lives.

Be intentional about spending time with Jesus. Running on “empty” causes us to lose heart easily and prevents us from giving our best for Him.

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” —Psalm 63:1