Driving home one day I came to the light about 2 miles from my house. As I sat there waiting to turn right I stared into the back of an 18 wheeler. Expecting to see the reflection of my homely, tan minivan in the somewhat warped metal, you can imagine my surprise when instead, I saw a massive yellow Mack truck. I sorta gasped and mumbled, Whoa, where did that come from? When did my minivan turn into a big yellow truck? 

I almost caused traffic to pile up as I ignored the light for a minute and glanced in the rear-view mirror to see if the Mack truck was a figment of my imagination or actually behind me. In this instance I wasn’t seeing things. There was a yellow Mack truck towering behind me, hogging all the mirror space of the truck in front of me.

It was like I had looked in my bathroom mirror and instead of seeing my petite 5’2” frame, I saw this 6’7” body-builder-muscle-woman who could scoop up the couch with one hand.

Uh-huh, I may be a simple minivan but I’ve got a Mack truck behind me. Don’t be messing with me!

Eventually I turned right and continued on down the road, but the whole thing had me chuckling and boosted my spirits.

On the surface it sounds silly, but being one who thinks deeply about little nuances like that, it made me think…

Isn’t that a picture of our life hidden with Christ?! When we come upon difficult situations, what do we see? A Toyota minivan or the Mack truck behind us? The image of our small human abilities or the image of a big, all powerful God within us?

I want my life to be so hid with Christ that when I look at difficult circumstances I see the enormity of Christ’s ability instead of my own.

Our society praises strength. We want to be strong. We want to have this. And we want to show off our big faith muscles, thinking that’s what God wants and uses.

But the message of the gospel says something different. It says, “’My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

We can think God says When you get it all together and figured out call me.

But that’s not true! It’s the opposite! When we think we know it, He lets us figure out we don’t, and when we admit our weaknesses, He infuses us with strength.

Romans 8:26 says “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

When life leaves us breathless and we don’t know what to do or how to pray, the Spirit of God intercedes – runs in and intercepts the ball – and prays, with groans before the Father.

He’s not waiting for me to be strong enough. He’s waiting for me to realize I’m not strong enough on my own and call on His strength, wisdom and discernment. Do we realize the power we have in His name?

“Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these?

He who brings out their host by number,

Calling them all by name,

by the greatness of His might,

and because He is strong in power

not one is missing.

Why do you say O Jacob,

and speak, O Israel,

‘My way is hidden from the Lord,

and my right is disregarded by my God’?

Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary,

His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint,

and to him who has no might He increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary,

and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:26-31

This is the power towering over us as Believers, and what I want to see reflecting off of whatever situation is in front of me! Eighteen-wheelers take many forms – job changes, family schedules, financial stresses, homeschooling responsibilities, relationships. When situations make us say, Whoa where did that come from, may we remember Who’s behind us, overshadowing us. Through Christ our small minivan inadequacies are transformed into more than conquerors and co-heirs with Christ.

And that should give us an energy boost!

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