EXTINGUISHING THE FLOOD

Imagine a flood raging through a community when, in the midst of the emergency response, someone arrives with a fire extinguisher or a charged fire hose. Those around would wonder whether something was wrong with the person. Not only would such an intervention be completely ineffective in addressing the crisis, but it would also amount to a complete waste of resources and energy. A fire extinguisher and fire hose are invaluable when confronting a fire, but they offer absolutely no value when the challenge at hand is a flood.

This is similar to attempting to live out the Christian life by sheer willpower and self-help. I can imagine God looking down at such people, fully knowing that it is an effort in futility. No matter the amount of effort that we invest, it will lead nowhere in the end, just like attempting to extinguish a flood. It will never be good enough when we go on our own without the help of the Holy Spirit in our Christian journey. The Rich Young Ruler who had an encounter with Jesus experienced this lesson firsthand.

He probably felt that he was doing quite well on his own. After all, he had faithfully kept the commandments handed down through Moses, and by his own standard of judgement, he had every reason to feel that he was on the right path. But then Jesus showed him that following Him required going an extra mile. Suddenly, what had seemed like a journey he could manage by himself appeared far more difficult than he had imagined. His response was based on the fact that he was on a solo journey, all by himself.

That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go. Matthew 19:22[MSG]

For all of us, the extra mile beyond the 10 Commandments will be different. However, the common thread is that we would not be able to do whatever it is without the help of the Holy Spirit. We will always come short of expectations if we keep trying to work it out without asking for the help of the Helper. This does not mean that we should not lift a finger; instead, we should put our hands in the hands of the Holy Spirit and then do the lifting together.

Just before the ascension of Jesus, He told the disciples not to set out without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. If they could do without the help of the Holy Spirit, He would not have given them that instruction. They obeyed, and the transformation and supernatural enablement were evident for all to see. The fact that they spent every waking hour with Jesus during His earthly ministry did not qualify them to go out without being strengthened by the Holy Spirit. If they needed Him, then we need Him all the more.

We can engage top-level strategic planning, tie up all loose ends, deploy the best skills, prepare for perfect excellence, rehearse as if our lives depended on it, take care of all the unexpected risks in our programs, and still fall short if we do all these things on our own without asking for the help of the Holy Spirit. The singing will be like mere entertainment, the preaching would be like eloquent words of men’s wisdom, and our gathering will be nothing more than a social event.

We need to deliberately and consistently ask for the help of the Holy Spirit, even in seemingly mundane things that appear to be within our span of control. He will always answer when we call on Him.