by Seriously. Here in America we have OnStar, cell phones, weather alerts. We’re insured–at the very least–with life, health, vehicle and property insurance. Why put our trust in a higher being when we’ve got fertility drugs, smoke alarms, the ER and government assistance at our beck and call?
In this instant gratification society, why pray when you can make it happen yourself? Or perhaps in the rush we just forget who’s really got our back.
MInTheGap and I discussed this somewhat in comments under his post on cell phone plans the other day. I mentioned a that I’d been driving our Saturn home from church last year when the front passenger side tire and wheel flew off the car with me driving 55 mph. Panicking–you know the whole “my life is flashing before my eyes, are the kids buckled in?, etc” spiel–I begged God for help!
We were able to slow down and pull off the rural highway, no cars in sight, completely safe and sound. Minus the still rolling tire and wheel. I got out, looked at the damage, got back in the car and took stock. A good twenty minutes from home and no cell phone. So we prayed. We prayed that someone would stop and let us use their phone, and that my husband would be home (translated: inside the house to get the call!) to be able to come rescue us!
Guess what we saw in the rear view mirror when we said “Amen”? A patrol car. He had a cell phone. My husband answered on the first ring and we were outta there in twenty minutes.
So I shared the above story with MInTheGap, prefacing it with the fact that we’d owned a car bag-phone before cordless cell phones were widely used. It was nice, but not necessary, so after a few years we canceled the plan and never looked back. Sure there are times I wish, for convenience sake, we still had one, but I have to wonder about what MInTheGap said in reply to my story:
“Cell phones do affect our feeling of independence from God, that much is certain. I’m beginning to wonder how much our feelings of detachment from God (or that God is distant) is a result of our own decisions to try to do more and more without Him.” ~MInTheGap
Pretty astute, to my way of thinking. I don’t ever want to lose my reliance on God.
Do you suppose that’s why the big “shake-ups” occur in our lives? Is God trying to get our attention in the only way He knows will make us sit up and get serious?
Life is too short, people. We all need the Lord.
I definitely get your point… but don’t you see a certain irony in relying on someone else to have a phone for you to use? Wouldn’t it be more prudent for you to at least own a pre-paid phone for emergencies like this one?
Your last few sentences go along well with what I was reading in my study yesterday. I’m in the waning weeks of a Beth Moore Study and last night I was reading about being changeable/being receptive to God’s will for your life. I agree that God uses “shake-ups” in our life so that we don’t get comfortable in our life and continue changing…continue making ourselves more like Jesus.
I think one of my very favorite verses is Psalm 62:5 “My soul, wait thou ONLY upon God for my expectation is from Him”. And I love your title…God is awesome; just read the Word looking for truth about Him. What He says about Himself and His ways is worthy of great times of meditation. For instance, Isaiah 46:9-10! And Isaiah 40:28-31! And Leviticus 26:20! We should echo Moses’ prayer, “…show me Thy ways” We have an awesome God. Electronics will fail, People will die, Insurances will bankrupt, etc., etc., etc., but the Word and the Person of our God will never fail! Do you ever ask yourself at the end of a message or a Bible study, ‘So what?’ There is always an answer from the Word to that query!
I blew it! That is Leviticus 20:26, not 26:20! No excuse. Sorry.
Who needs God? I do that’s for sure. I can’t imagine life without Him. I agree about the shakeups, I think sometimes we are so wrapped up in ourselves that it’s not until He bopps us over the head that we pay attention to Him.
I’ve really only ever looked at your Amish Bread blog but I accidentally clicked on this tonight and I’m glad I did. It is ironic that just the other day my husband had to take our only cell phone with him to work (mine was on the fritz and he had dropped his work one in some water so it was dead, too). I was getting all frantic because I had to take our boys to get their flu shots and it’s approx. 20 minutes from our house. I felt I would at least like the comfort of a cell phone going that far (yeah, it’s really not that far). Well, just as I was thinking those things I felt the Lord remind me, “what did you do before cell phones?” I started rememebering certain instances where I needed help on the side of the road and someone was there everytime, without any help from my cell phone, but only with one simple prayer asking God to send someone. It’s amazing how we do begin to rely on our “stuff” instead of the one who created that “stuff” and everything else. Another quick comment….we had a guy from Guardian (home security systems) come by tonight and try to get us to buy a home security system. I politely told him we were not insterested and then as I shut the door I thought, “wow, I should have told him that I already have a built in security system that I take everywhere I go…yes, his name is Jesus.” Another thing…isn’t it ironic that their name is “Guardian”…wow, almost as if trying to replace our one and only Guardian, King Jesus.
Cell phone or not. We all need God, desperately. We put off getting cell phone forever, but now our family has a joint plan and I get so much done in the car, waiting to pick up kids is when I usually remember to call my family long distance just to say hello (love that multitasking), but cell phones, Onestar, AAA will never replace our need to call out to Jesus!
Thanks for this reminder and wonderful testimony!
I am probably the only one in my family and at church who still uses a trac phone. My husband bought it for me just in case of a flat tire or an emergency.
I see how obsessed everyone is with their phones and I just don’t want that to happen to me. Yeah, my phone is now considered archaic and obsolete. But at least, I don’t hang onto it like it is a lifeline. God is.
Jennifer S, I appreciate your thoughts on this. Dh and I probably would have kept our cell phone and upgraded, but at the time he was going from being employed to being self-employed, starting up a small home business and we were “sorely” strapped, so we were eliminating any and all extraneous bills. Since we really haven’t missed it, and still can’t afford the extra $50 a month, we’ve opted not to resume a cell plan. A trac phone would be handy, and as you say, probably prudent!
Colleen, I enjoyed hearing how this meshes with what you’ve been studying. Unfortunately, we *do* get in comfortable ruts…outwardly we may be doing all the right things (going to church, reaching out) but inwardly we can kind of get robotic, or at least, I know I can.
Mom, if I could pull references out of thin air as magically as you… 😉
I like how you extended the “who needs God” into our personal Bible study and asking “So what?” So how can I apply this into my situation? Because it isn’t just a book of old-fashioned advice and great storytelling.
And your other point, that no matter how this world and technology fails us, God never will. I’d like to add that this relationship is FREE while what the world offers us is costly. In more ways than one.
Amy, I’m so glad you found Him when you did, your testimony has been keeping me captive.
Maria, I recognized you from the AFB thread, and I’m so glad you took the time to comment on this post. Especially because now I know we have the greater bond of Christianity between us. I can imagine your little panic spree as per the absent cell phone, because I remember how dependent I was upon mine when we had one. It’s kind of like anything, we forget how we existed apart from what has become like an extension of ourselves. What a great zinger of truth that would have been for the “Guardian” security man…I’m just like that, always thinking up the perfect response after the fact. Guess that’s why I write and don’t give speeches!
Gina, great way to sum it all up! And reading your comment made me really want one again! I did enjoy using road time and waits to chat with friends. I think we could almost save money going to only cell phones and canceling our land line. We’ve used calling cards for over a year now instead of having long distance, so we’d just have to figure out how to get internet access since we’re in such a pocket here and having to depend on our small town telephone company for internet.
Leticia, I know several people who still have trac phones. How protective of your hubby to make sure you have a way to contact him if you need to. Your last point on how obsessed everyone is with their cell really struck me. Dh and I have noticed that too. People in our culture are more comfortable text messaging or using their cell phones to keep in touch than they are actually getting together with the person and spending time catching up. At least it seems that way when you spend a lot of time with someone who ignores you as they text message away…