Easy Connection
Telephones have come a long way.
I remember watching episodes of Little House on the Prairie on television and watching the actors pick up the telephone only to first speak to an operator who would then connect them with the person they wanted to speak with.
Even when we moved past that middle man/operator phase, it still took some effort and time to call someone. Dialing on my rotary phone as a kid felt like it took forever. You had to push the wheel down for each number and wait for it to recoil back.
Then it got a bit easier. Just push the buttons down on your phone and voila! You're connected.
And now we have computers in our hands that we can talk to. With a simple voice command, the phone dials and connects for you. It has gotten easier and easier with each generation to make a phone call and talk to someone.
The evolution of the telephone is like my journey in connecting with God. It used to feel so hard and take so much effort. The way I understood it as a kid was that I had to first go to a middle man -- a religious man of God -- who would help me connect with my Creator. I could confess my sins to the 'operator' and tell him what I wanted to say to God.
God has a way, though, of helping us understand that He has made it much easier for us to connect with Him. He showed me that the only Mediator that is needed is Jesus, Himself, who took all the sin on Himself so that we can have 'unlimited minutes' and full access to God personally. It was an amazing revelation to know this Reality and that there is now a straight 'telephone line' to God!
But even since that revelation, God is still opening my eyes to just how easy He is to access and how much 'work' I don't have to do. For example, I don't have to be in a certain body posture to authentically connect with Him. I don't have to go through a ceremonial step by step process that will improve the communication line. I don't have to wait for a certain time of the day. And I don't have to wait until I feel good about myself. And let me tell you too -- raising your voice doesn't improve your connection. I used to think that the 'fervent prayer of a righteous man' (James 5:16) meant that if I wasn't exhausted and broken out into a sweat at the end of my prayer (I'm exaggerating, but you know what I mean), my prayer was not very "fervent".
God spoke to me recently and said, "You're trying too hard."
See, I keep thinking that I'm using an old fashioned or rotary phone that takes so much effort. I keep forgetting that He has changed up the whole System for us. He has made it so 'touch sensitive' and 'voice activated' that even our thoughts in prayer move Him. My whispered, breathy prayers can move mountains. Two words spoken as an intercession for someone can completely set them free. See, it's not about our strength. It's about believing in His strength and the Blood He shed.
He has given us an easy connection. Are you trying too hard, too?
I remember watching episodes of Little House on the Prairie on television and watching the actors pick up the telephone only to first speak to an operator who would then connect them with the person they wanted to speak with.
Even when we moved past that middle man/operator phase, it still took some effort and time to call someone. Dialing on my rotary phone as a kid felt like it took forever. You had to push the wheel down for each number and wait for it to recoil back.
Then it got a bit easier. Just push the buttons down on your phone and voila! You're connected.
And now we have computers in our hands that we can talk to. With a simple voice command, the phone dials and connects for you. It has gotten easier and easier with each generation to make a phone call and talk to someone.
The evolution of the telephone is like my journey in connecting with God. It used to feel so hard and take so much effort. The way I understood it as a kid was that I had to first go to a middle man -- a religious man of God -- who would help me connect with my Creator. I could confess my sins to the 'operator' and tell him what I wanted to say to God.
God has a way, though, of helping us understand that He has made it much easier for us to connect with Him. He showed me that the only Mediator that is needed is Jesus, Himself, who took all the sin on Himself so that we can have 'unlimited minutes' and full access to God personally. It was an amazing revelation to know this Reality and that there is now a straight 'telephone line' to God!
But even since that revelation, God is still opening my eyes to just how easy He is to access and how much 'work' I don't have to do. For example, I don't have to be in a certain body posture to authentically connect with Him. I don't have to go through a ceremonial step by step process that will improve the communication line. I don't have to wait for a certain time of the day. And I don't have to wait until I feel good about myself. And let me tell you too -- raising your voice doesn't improve your connection. I used to think that the 'fervent prayer of a righteous man' (James 5:16) meant that if I wasn't exhausted and broken out into a sweat at the end of my prayer (I'm exaggerating, but you know what I mean), my prayer was not very "fervent".
God spoke to me recently and said, "You're trying too hard."
See, I keep thinking that I'm using an old fashioned or rotary phone that takes so much effort. I keep forgetting that He has changed up the whole System for us. He has made it so 'touch sensitive' and 'voice activated' that even our thoughts in prayer move Him. My whispered, breathy prayers can move mountains. Two words spoken as an intercession for someone can completely set them free. See, it's not about our strength. It's about believing in His strength and the Blood He shed.
He has given us an easy connection. Are you trying too hard, too?
Comments