Day One Hundred Forty-Six “Cell Phones”
What a crazy culture we have created for ourselves! Young couples escape to a quiet restaurant for a well-deserved date, then spend the evening on their cell phones ignoring each other; teenagers meet for a day of fun and fellowship, but rarely take a time out from their phone addiction to talk to each other; drivers weave from lane to lane, distracted by some urgent communication that just can’t wait. Most frustrating are those young children at Walmart who should be doing normal kid things, like begging for toys, pestering their parents, irritating their siblings, or drowning in utter boredom, but instead are staring at screens, oblivious to anything, or anyone, around them, bumping around the store in some type of cyber-induced trance. Ah, the scourge of the smartphone. Research shows that an alarming rate of adults spend over three hours a day glued to its screen, costing productivity at work, concentration at school, interaction in the home, and the formation of solid communication skills.
If I am honest with myself, I must confess that I find myself convicted by the fact that I can easily spend more time and energy in the course of a day on my phone, social media, reading news updates, and emails, than I do in communication with my Father. I was reminded of this today as I was reading of a reluctant prophet of God who was facing a true crisis moment in his life.
Jeremiah was immersed in a hopeless situation. His beloved nation was on the verge of collapse, with a vast Babylonian army about to descend on the vulnerable, holy city of Jerusalem. This tenderhearted man, as a result of obeying God and proclaiming a warning of judgment to his fellow citizens, was “shut up in the court of the prison,” facing the distinct and very real possibility that he could be executed for responding in obedience to God’s command. We would have to agree that Jeremiah was in a tough spot, probably not overflowing with hope and encouragement as he sat abandoned in a dungeon. But at his darkest moment, in that quiet, secluded place, “the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the second time,” God spoke to him, giving him a mental escape from his dire situation and some well-needed encouragement. God reminded his child to “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.” I’m here, son, talk to me; spend some time with Me; you are not alone, listen to Me, I have some great things to show you.
Perhaps my smartphone actually does have the capability of making me smarter, but only if I am reminded every time it rings that my Father is also waiting to hear from me, that I may be missing some “great and mighty thing” God wants to share with me if I would simply call upon Him, allow Him to communicate with me. Let’s resolve to manage our time more efficiently, communicating more with the One Who has so much to offer us, prioritizing a Father Who has so many great things in store for us. He is willing and waiting to bless our lives, to help us develop a deeper walk with Him, to conform us to His image, if we would only ask, if we would only call.
I Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
Lord, help me to be a better communicator, not through my phone, but through You. Help me to manage my time more effectively, always making You the priority.
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