Operator, Please

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 ESV).

Technology grows so quickly that it is easy to take for granted how far we’ve come in such a brief period of time. For example, we enjoy unassisted long-distance telephone calling. It hasn’t always been so. Before the president of Pacific Telephone and Telegraph dialed New York City from Oakland, California, with a call lasting about one minute, telephone operators placed all long-distance calls.

It’s also easy to take for granted the privilege we have been given in our direct access to God through prayer! Imagine praying and hearing this:

“Thank you for calling My Father’s House. Please select one of the following four options:

1. Press 1 for requests.
2. Press 2 for thanksgiving.
3. Press 3 for complaints.
4. For all other inquiries, press 4.”

What if God used the familiar excuse: “All of the angels are helping other customers right now. Please stay on the line. Your call will be answered in the order it was received.” Can you imagine getting these kinds of responses as you call on God in prayer?

1. “If you’d like to speak with Gabriel, press 1.
2. “For Michael, press 2.
3. “For any other angel, press 3.
4. “If you want King David to sing you a psalm, press 6.
5. “To find out if your relative is here, enter his/her date of death and listen for the list that follows.”
6. “For reservations at My Father’s House, simply press the letters J-O-H-N on the keypad, followed by the number 3-1-6.”
7. “For answers to nagging questions about dinosaurs, the age of the earth and where Noah’s ark is, wait until you get here!”
8. “Our computers show that you have called once today already. Please hang up immediately.”
9. “This office is closed for the weekend. Please call again Monday.” End of message.

Thankfully, you never need worry about getting a busy signal with the Lord! He is always available to us. No wonder the Apostle Paul said, Pray all the time. Do you? Perhaps its time to take advantage of your “free calling minutes”!