Wise Energy Use

 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.                 – Isaiah 40:29

I ripped open the envelope from the electric company, and there it was again, another Home Energy Report. I remembered once asking my mother if she received these reports. 

“Yes,” she had said with disgust, “I don’t like them. It’s like a report card I didn’t ask for.” 

I had to chuckle. I could see where she was coming from. 

Each report includes an assessment entitled, “Your Electricity Use at a Glance,” with an arrow pointing to your “grade” on a bar scale. Mine was marked fair, not good, and certainly not great. Beneath my grade was an explanation of the assessment: “You likely used more this period due to changes in your home or energy habits.” Isn’t that obvious? 

And as if that weren’t enough, the report also includes a part on how you compare to others with a bar graph showing energy use by efficient homes, similar homes, and yourself. I had used significantly more than both of those categories. Of course I understand the purpose of this report. The electric company is promoting energy conservation. Tips to reduce home energy use are also given.  

I wonder if I could get an energy report on my own strength. What would it reveal? Another grade of "fair?" That I was using more energy than others? 

When I rely on my personal strength, I will soon become weary and worn out and have nothing to draw from. I need to lean on the Lord, for the prophet Isaiah says, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29). 

The apostle Paul learned the secret of drawing from God’s strength. He says, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). 

The Lord will give us supernatural strength when we trust in Him. “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31). 

Just as we need to be good stewards of our home energy, we need to be good stewards of our own energy. We need to recognize where and how to spend our energy. God will support and empower us, but it is our responsibility to do His work. 

Let us tap into God’s energy to complete the work he has set before us, agreeing with Paul, “To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:29). 

If I could get a personal energy report, I wouldn’t want an assessment of how I compared with others, for I know that is not wise (see 2 Corinthians 10:12), but I would like to see how much I relied on the Lord vs. how much I tried to do on my own. In the end, I want to see that my energy habits scored a “great” on my report card. I want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23)! 

Dear Lord, give me the wisdom to know when I am trying to do things on my own. Guide me to lean into You instead. Teach me to come to You in the event of a power outage, for You will restore me. Help me to always recognize where to expend my energy – so I may complete the work You have set before me for the furtherance of Your kingdom. Amen.