Former Blackout Artist

Have you ever found yourself stranded on the side of the road because of your car breaking down? It’s not a good feeling! This happened to me many years ago. I was on active duty at the time and heading home for a week of military leave.

I had just fueled up with only an hour left to drive. As I continued home, my car suddenly started sputtering horribly. It was really bad! And this was a fairly new car, never had an issue with it until then. Luckily there was a convenience store up ahead and I somehow managed to sputter into the parking lot. This was before we had cellphones, so I went inside and asked if I could borrow their phone to call my father. He would know what to do.

Thankfully he answered and I told him what was going on. He asked me, “Did you fuel up recently? If so, you might’ve gotten some bad gas.” I told him that I had fueled up about 20 minutes earlier. Then he asked, “Were you paying attention to which type of fuel you used at the pump?” I told him, “I think so, but I now that you mention it – it was a tad more difficult getting the fuel nozzle inside the fuel tank opening.”

He sighed and said, “Well… you have mistakenly put diesel fuel in your car. Tell me where you are so I can call and get you some help.”

Dad was right. I had mistakenly filled my tank with diesel fuel instead of gasoline. And that mistake ended up costing me a couple hundred dollars. I’ve not made that mistake since!

That memory got me to thinking. Isn’t this a fitting illustration of what we all do sometimes? We fill our tanks with the wrong fuel, and go through life sputtering and stalling and struggling from one day to the next?

The world offers us plenty of fuel. It is easy to pull up, fill up, and get back on the road without thinking much about it. Success, approval, comfort, distraction—these things promise to keep us going. But they were never meant to power the soul. Before long, like that car on the side of the road, we begin to sputter. We lose strength. We struggle just to keep moving forward.

God has given us the only fuel that truly sustains—His presence, His Word, His Spirit. Yet even as believers, we sometimes run low. Not because He has withheld anything from us, but because we have drifted toward the wrong pumps. We try to run on what the world provides, and it simply does not work.

The good news is this: the Lord does not leave us stranded. Just as I called my father that day, we can call on our heavenly Father at any time. He knows exactly what is wrong, and He knows exactly what we need. When we come back to Him, He fills us again—fully and freely—with what our souls were designed to run on.

So if you find yourself sputtering today, take a moment to ask: “What have I been filling my life with?” Then turn back to the One who never runs dry.

“But those who wait on 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 40:31