“And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.…, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

(John 17:19-21 ESV)

Back in the late autumn, I got fed up with having to pump up a rear tyre on Caroline’s car. This particular tyre had been leaking, week in and week out, and I wrongly guessed that the wheel rim seal or valve was faulty.

So, I took it to the tyre refit shop where the mechanic advised me it was time to change all the tyres because, as it transpired, all the tyres were at the end of their life’s duration. Being a nosy/curious person, I always watch the mechanic when the tyres are being replaced to check the state of the metal wheel rims to make sure nothing is missed when sealing the tyres onto them.

As he removed this particular underinflated tyre, we spotted that the tyre had split on the surface of the inside tyre wall — out of sight. This was why there was a leak; a broken tyre!  It was an accident waiting to happen, which was a bit of a shock.  I realised this was why I had been given a prompt from above to get the car checked out!

Sometimes, like in the case of my leaky tyre, maybe we have allowed the world to press down upon us as we have hit a few bumps in the road; we need the Holy Spirit to call us into God’s Presence for a checkup.

If we do not come before God regularly we are heading for unseen trouble.  Through trial and temptation, it is easy to lose our hope and faith in a God who died that we might live eternally.  Pierced and bumped by life, we will gradually lose sight of God.

Daily, as the rubber hits the road and we talk to Jesus and share Jesus’ Word with others, we will be fortified, repaired, pumped up by the presence of the Holy Spirit, to face everything the world has until finally we come to the end of the road and we motor on in our journey into heaven.

Jesus is The One who aids us in our walk, through faith and hope. He waits for us to take our brokenness into Him for repair to replace old damaged thoughts with new.  So maybe it is time for us to take ourselves into God’s Presence once more.

Prayer: Lord, we keep on getting it wrong and yet You will always receive us to wash us down, no matter where we have been through the day. Please forgive us when we fail in life. Lord as we come to You please fill us again today with Your Holy Spirit to aid us on our journey with You until we reach heaven. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Roderick Marshall