Day 16 of 21 Days of Prayer. Time to Refuel. Clunkity. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. My 1976 Ford Maverick killed on Wooddale Boulevard in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. During my college days in the late eighties, I was an extreme risk taker. On this particular evening, I fell short of gasoline on a dark highway, literally broke because I did not make any tips that evening at Po Folks. The brown hornet, as my young nephews would call my car, had run out of gasoline.
Being stranded on the dark highway after 10:00 p.m. in the late eighties was dangerous. Cell phones did not exist at that time. I was left with two options: one, sit in the car until day break so that I could walk home; or two, pray and hope someone would stop to help me. Several cars passed me by. That was alright with me because I was not about to flag anyone for help. I wanted to stay safe and was prepared to protect myself with my Bowie knife that I kept under my car seat.
After sitting in my car for about 20 minutes, I noticed a vehicle circled the divided highway and returned to where my car was stranded. The gentleman got out of his car and approached my vehicle. I reached for my Bowie knife while rolling down the window. He said, “Hey, I noticed your car sitting on the side of the highway with the lights flashing. I said to myself, this lady has run out of gas.”
Out of compassion, he decided to return to help me because he had sisters, too; so he claimed. He was only doing for me what he would have wanted a stranger to do for his sisters if they were stranded on the highway.
So, this gentleman purchased some gasoline and returned to refuel my car. I told him I did not have any money because I was a poor college student. He said that was alright he just didn’t want to see me stranded on the highway at night. I never got out of my car but God protected me even when I had run out of fuel. The gentleman refueled the car and left. I was able to drive home safely.
TIME TO REFUEL
As Christians, sometimes our fuel gets low. We get low on prayer, praise, and worship. When we do, our engines stop. When we run out of fuel, we place ourselves in the dark on a lonely highway, broke, and ready to attack anyone who crosses us the wrong way.
BUT, GOD!
When our fuel gets low, we need to stop and refuel the engine of our spiritual man with prayer, praise, and worship—the fuel that gives us support and strength to keep moving. Take a minute, stop, and refuel your engine with the elements of faith (John 4:14).
PRAY THIS PRAYER ALOUD
Father God, I enter into your presence through the blood of Jesus. I ask you to REFUEL my spirit man so that I can have the support and strength that I need to keep moving forward. In the name of Jesus. Amen!
~inspiring hope & seasoning faith, Dr. Regina M. Daigre
P.S.: My brown Ford Maverick did not look as good as the one in the picture, but I give God the glory for enabling me to purchase my first car for $1,750. That was a lot of money in 1986.
By the time I graduated from college, God blessed me with a brand new car, 1988 Red Nissan Sentra. My brother-in-law discovered the Bowie Knife in my car when I was getting ready to trade the Maverick in for the new Sentra and took it from me. He said I did not need to be traveling to Atlanta with a Bowie knife. Besides, it was illegal.
After that day, I never saw my Bowie knife again. But God filled me with his Holy Spirit. He has promised never to leave me nor forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6). I refuel daily through prayer, praise, and worship (John 7:38).