“Praise Him for dreaming up such a fantastically innovative, glorious, gracious, plan whereby you and I can face anything this world can throw at us, not due to our ability but to His ability through us.” – Billy Graham

I depend on caffeine.

Wake up early. Make a pot of coffee. Feet dragging while running errands. Stop at Starbucks. Eyes growing heavy while driving. Guzzle a Red Bull.

I’m sure I’m not the only one in this situation. I bet there are others like me. Those who chain drink coffee throughout the day or grab an energy drink at the gas station when embarking on a long trip.

I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with consuming caffeine. All my fellow coffee junkies can take a collective breath of relief. However, I believe that all too often we treat God like a cup of coffee or an energy drink.

We wait until we are at our weakest and we pray to God for strength. We find ourselves in a deep depression and we ask God for joy. We are anxious and stressed out and ask God for peace.

Now, don’t misunderstand me. When we are feeling weak, anxious, or unhappy we SHOULD call out to God and He promises to give us strength, peace, and joy.   However, I feel that sometimes we treat God as our spiritual shot in the arm. We ignore God until we need Him as the Advil for our spiritual headache.

Prayers like this come only as a reaction to our situation. There’s no relationship. Just like you don’t think about drinking a Red Bull until you’re feeling tired. Just like you don’t think you need Starbucks until you’re ready to drop. The temptation can be to forget about God until we realize need His help in a certain situation.

God desires to be more than your “caffeine boost” to get you through the day. He wants to be your life-giving sustenance. He wants to be the fuel you run off of. He doesn’t just want to give you energy, He wants to BE your energy. This only comes out of a deep, rich, daily, relationship with Him and adherence to His Spirit.

Notice how the Psalmist describes his strength.

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him” (Psalm 28:7).

The Lord doesn’t just supply his strength. The Lord IS his strength.

Where does your strength come from?

Parents: Ask your kids where their strength comes from and see what they say. Explain to them how God desires to be the source of their strength.