Photovoltaic Lights

Monday 12/3/2012 5:00 AM

My neighbor has photovoltaic lights along his sidewalk.  They have photoelectric cells on the top of the light, which absorb sunlight during the day, convert it to electricity and then store it in a small battery.  When the sun sets at night a sensor turns the light on and it illumines his sidewalk using the energy that is stored in the battery.  The lights work great in the summer, when the days are long and there is plenty of sunlight but this time of the year, when the number of hours of daylight is less and when it is cloudy, the lights can store no energy because they are not exposed to the sunlight, the source of all the energy.

My psalm for the week is Psalm 80.  Verses 3,7 and19 are all alike, “Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.”  I immediately thought about my neighbors’ lights and I wondered if the verse could paraphrased in this way, “Make your face shine upon us, that we may be empowered.”  I also thought of Jesus’ words in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  Jesus had a way of using the common items of his day when he told his parables and made his point to his disciples.  If he were walking the earth today he may have said, “I am the sunlight, you are the photovoltaic lights.  If you absorb me and store my power in your batteries, you will have much light.  Apart from me you can do nothing.”

For the past year or so I have not had my normal, regular devotional time each morning.  It seems that other things have crowded out my time with God.  Not surprisingly I have not heard God calling me to ministry and I feel isolated and alone in my daily life.  I need to spend time before the face of God, absorbing his love, so that my batteries are energized for ministry.