Thought for Today
Genesis 2:7 then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.
Psalm 121:1 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- from where will my help come? 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
Mark 9:22 It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us." . . . 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out, "I believe; help my unbelief!"
Yesterday, a cool front passed through our region. We had a gentle rainfall in the morning accompanied by slightly gusty winds. By the afternoon, the skies were beginning to clear. Then, at about 5:30pm, the power went out. Normally, for us, loss of power is not catastrophic. Several years ago, we installed a backup generator. It is propane powered and comes on in less than 1 minute after a power loss. Our power was restored more quickly than the power company forecast, although we and several neighbors were only inconvenienced for the short period of time it took our generators to kick in.
What was catastrophic was that there was also some sort of damage done to our ISP’s (internet service provider’s) network. Like many others, we have ‘bundled’ our services. Our ISP service includes internet, television and ‘landline’ telephone. I know, it’s no longer a ‘landline’ if it comes from an ISP, but I still think of it that way.
All of our devices were suddenly ‘dead’ No television, no telephone, no iPad, nothing! Thankfully, Greta and I use a different provider for our smartphones. We were not totally bereft of communication with the outside world . . . but having our devices inoperative was terrifying!! Not really, since we no longer have teenagers living at home. Also, being ‘of an age,’ we do subscribe to a print newspaper and I do have a few books (Greta exaggerates, there are a few places I have not crammed full of books . . . somewhere) I learned to read in elementary school and now, more than 10 years later, I still love to read and actually enjoy reading.
But that experience last night did elicit thoughts about how dependent many of us have become on all of our devices. While I watch television, I also play solitaire on my iPad. When Greta and I go to the YMCA to exercise, we synchronize our earbuds with our smartphones and listen to music. We have Google Home devices in several rooms of our home, allowing us verbal linkage to the internet for (almost) instantaneous answers to any questions. And, we’re no longer teenagers or twenty-somethings. I’m almost afraid to ask our grandchildren to imagine a world without ‘devices.’ I do remember a world without television, without smartphones, wireless earbuds, even without hand-held calculators. When I try to describe that world to our grandchildren, I get a ‘deer-in-the-headlights’ look of utter disbelief.
Such a world would leave many today feeling helpless, deprived of all sources of information, without any support network. Even those of us ‘of an age’ have become accustomed to first accessing our devices for answers rather than looking in a reference book or a textbook. Today, people of all ages and generations get their news about current events from social media. Unfiltered, unattested stories, ideas, conspiracy theories and fake news abound within social media. Yet, many are totally reliant on those unfiltered, unattested stories, ideas, conspiracy theories and fake news reports.
As a Christian, I do have total access to a resource greater than anything or anybody on the internet. That resource is not dependent on electricity, whether from a power company or a standby generator. That resource does not need an internet connection. I love the psalmist’s description of that source, “the LORD who made heaven and earth.” I am thankful that I don’t have to look to the hills to find my source, since I have lived almost my entire life at or near sea level along coastal plains. My source is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, always accessible irrespective of power outages, internet outages or any other disruptions in life.
I do have a resource book, a faithful guide to my source, the Bible. In that guidebook, I am reminded, “Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’" Last night, while both the power and the internet were in failure mode, I could access my resource for information, comfort and support . . .all free of charge!
Sometimes it is nice to be reminded of my ultimate resource. As the psalmist says, “46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Of course, the same One who walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death, who is that very present help, is also right there with us in all the other times. Good times or bad, our God is omnipresent, everywhere, all the time.
Stay safe, talk to God, trust God,
Pastor Ray