Our present condition
· Power outages most days, either for the whole day or for several hours at night.
· Oftentimes there is “dirty power” of very low potency, flickering on and off.
· When you call Tanesco to try to find answers, either phone is out of order, or busy, or they hang up on you, or they say they’ll take care of it and just wait.
Why? I just read in the paper today: The amount of power needed to satisfy the national demand in Tanzania – 935 MW.
The amount of power produced by hydroelectric plants due to decreasing water supply – 180 MW. That’s a problem with no quick solution!
Most of us have become very dependent upon power, in order to do our business, in order to live comfortably, and in order to sleep at night. Loss of power can be crippling, but it also has a significant impact upon our attitudes and disposition. Very few things can so quickly turn an attitude south as a lack of electricity.
Scripture on power
That got me to thinking about what the scripture says about power. God’s power is a frequent theme running through pages of Bible. What are some examples you think of when God demonstrated His power during Bible times? Many passages reference God’s power:
Ex.15:6 (from song of Miriam) – “Your right hand, O Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.”
Job 9:4 – “His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him & come out unscathed?”
Job 37:18 – “The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power.”
Ps.66:3-4 – “Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name.”
Jer.10:12-13 – “But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.”
Jer.27:5 – “With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please.”
Certainly we do not serve a weak God!
So what is our attitude toward this powerful God and His attitude toward us?
Tower of Babel (Gen.11) reminds us God’s prohibition against getting too powerful and trusting in our own strength.
2 Cor.12:1-10 – God does not want us to get too full of ourselves, become self-sufficient, and stray from Him. He is our strength. When we are weak, His grace is manifest and His power is shown to be perfect.
Zech 4:6 – “Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit!” says the Lord. Whatever we do, we are to do in His strength, by His Spirit.
Ultimately, his power will be the supply for all lighting as He meets all our needs in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:22-24).
And when it comes to our own lack of electricity here in Dar, I cannot escape Paul’s challenge to be content in any and every circumstance (Phil.4). As challenging as it may be, we must seek the good, even in the hot, still nights, and rejoice in the Lord always! How do we do this? It helps me to remember we’re on a mission trip during this life, and the fun part is coming!
Pressing on, often in the dark, by God’s grace. Eric