The Empty Gas Tank

Empty Gas Tank

I want to share a little story of a recent life event.  God used it to speak to me about the fact that it is never too late to step into the call of God on our lives.  It doesn’t matter how old we are, or how long we have procrastinated or how many times we feel that we have dropped the ball.  God has a way of making it possible for us to “redeem” the time because He is more concerned that we are moving, than He is that we have arrived.

I had to travel to a meeting that was about an hour and a half from my house.  When I got into my car, I noticed that the gas gauge was on empty.  The light was on and there was no way I could go to my meeting without stopping on the way for gas.  The problem was, I live out in the country.  I did not know if I should fill up at the nearest gas station, which was in the opposite direction I needed to travel, thereby making myself late for the meeting, or chance that I had enough gas to get to the station that was on my way.

My car happens to have an indicator that tells me how much gas I have left, and how many miles I can expect to travel, given certain criteria.  If you drive the car fast and hard, the mileage goes down considerably.  If you drive the car in a low gear, the same thing happens.  Before moving, I noticed I could go 40 miles on the current amount of gas in the tank.

 I began to drive up the long hill from my house to the main road.  I watched the mileage indicator go from 40 to 35 by the time I got to the top of the hill.  At the top of the hill is a spectacular view looking over the valley and the sunset was spectacular.  I was so enthralled, that I pulled over to look, forgetting I was idling the car and using up more gas.  When I looked at the indicator, I noticed I had only 30 miles left that I could travel.  I was wondering if I would have enough gas to get to the station.  I knew from experience that once I got going, the numbers would increase with the speed I traveled, the conditions of the road and the gear I was using, but I did not expect the dramatic life application.

As I headed down the country road and shifted into the cruising speed, I began to gain potential miles.  Pretty soon, I noticed I could drive 45 miles on the gas remaining in my tank.  At the end of the country road, I joined a four lane road and I could travel faster, shifting into fifth gear.  This allowed me to drive more efficiently, and the potential mileage increased to 60 and 65.  Remember…I am using up the gas in my tank while driving, but I am getting better and better mileage because of how I am using the gas, and the conditions I am traveling in.  I no longer had any doubt that I would reach the station.

I began to wonder at what point I would see a reversal of the potential mileage as it increased more and more the farther I drove.  I never got the answer to my question, because at the point where I reached the gas station, my indicator said I could go another ninety miles!

So, it doesn’t matter how much gas is left in my tank or how many years I have left.  It just matters that I continue the process of stepping into my identity and into the dreams God has for me.  Some of us who are older do not have the same distractions we had when we were younger and we have learned a lot of life lessons that are useful in this process.  We know how to overcome obstacles because we have a lot of practice in some areas.

As we allow ourselves to start our engines again, there will be some shifting to get up to our cruising speed, but once there, God will cause us to operate with an efficiency that will amaze us.  We have enough gas in the tank to take us all the way into what God has for us, even if the indicator light tells us differently!  (Remember the loaves and the fishes—God is a God of multiplication.) We have enough grace to finish whatever God has given us a dream for. 

Once we get up to our cruising speed, something supernatural takes over, enabling us to go the distance with ease.  I am experiencing the favor of God in new ways as I just keep moving ahead.  I think that is the real key.  Just keep moving and favor and grace will be attracted to us to give us that finishing anointing.