Power Blackout

Bible Reading: PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:15-18

Lucas sighed as he sat down at the kitchen table and began his homework. What a lousy day, he thought. Nothing has gone right. As he opened a book, the lights went out—not just in the kitchen, but in the whole house. “Hey!” Lucas called. “What happened?”

“It must be a power blackout,” said Dad, coming up from the basement where he had been working. “The streetlight out front is off too.”

Mom came into the kitchen and lit a candle. That helped a little bit, and Lucas managed to finish his homework. “Tell you what—let’s build a fire in the fireplace,” suggested Dad after a while. “You kids can get your sleeping bags and put them in front of the fire.”

“All right!” exclaimed Lucas’s sister, Bri. “It’ll almost be like camping out! Can we roast marshmallows too?”

“Sure,” said Mom, and using flashlights, they went off to find their sleeping bags. Soon they were all settled in the living room.

“You know, when the lights first went out, I figured it was just another bad thing to happen today,” Lucas said as he set up a board game for them to play. “But this has turned out to be fun.”

“It sure has,” agreed Bri, pulling a golden-brown marshmallow off a roasting fork.

Dad nodded. “This power blackout is a good reminder that how we view our troubles makes a big difference. We can get worried and fret over them, or we can look for the good in our situation. When we remember that Jesus has saved us and has promised to use all our troubles for good, we can be joyful and trust Him with our problems. We need to look to Jesus and ask Him to help us keep a good attitude and find lessons He may want to teach us through our difficulties. We might even find a way to turn a problem into an adventure.”

“Yeah,” Lucas said with a smile. “Like tonight!”

“That’s right,” Mom chimed in. “But even when really bad things happen, Jesus promises to be with us and help us through them. When we keep that in mind, we see our troubles in a different light.” CHARLES VANDERMEER

How About You?

When something happens that seems like trouble, do you start to worry or complain? Instead, pray about your problem, knowing that Jesus loves you and has a purpose for everything He allows in your life. Ask Him to help you have a joyful attitude even when things aren’t going the way you’d like. Trust Him to be with you and bring good out of your situation.

Today’s Key Verse:
PHILIPPIANS 4:4 REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS. AGAIN I WILL SAY, REJOICE! (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Trust Jesus with problems