I may be a computer junkie. Addict may not be too strong a term. Beyond just needing my notebook computer, I need to be connected. I read the news, watch the stock market, maintain my web pages, send emails around the world, back up my files, access my calendar, and listen to the radio, balance my checkbook and pay my bills, and buy books on the internet. My computer was on as the last millennium ticked to a close; I had to see if it survived. I think I've got it under control. I often make myself wait until after lunch to turn it on, just so it won't interfere with what I need to do. But don't take my computer! I need it.
But then I go to Ghana. It's difficult to find a telephone. (There are cell phones everyone, but nothing I can plug into.) The phone jacks are different. And no U.S. internet service providers (ISP) (at least, none I'm aware of) offer local access numbers in Ghana. So, even if I found a phone with a jack I could use, I would have to call my ISP in Georgia-very long distance-to get my computer on the internet. What's a junkie to do?
There are communication centers everywhere! They promise typing, computer use, copiers, fax, telephones, and YES! Internet access. Pay by the minute to use an outdated computer connected to a phone line, access the internet over painfully slow 14.4 connections (sometimes actually 28.8, and sometimes a dismal 9600), and finally! Email. Letters from home! Word from family and friends! There really is a world out there!
I wonder if God ever wishes we would communicate with Him like we communicate with others. We burn up the phone lines to keep up with the latest gossip, and sap the widest bandwidth zapping email, pictures, and files around the world to anyone even remotely interested (or not). We buy the latest technological gadget to enhance our system, and pride ourselves on our web savvy-or, for the low-tech among us, maybe just hang around the water cooler or the local 7-11 store-just to take part in conversation. But do we "hang out" with God? Spend time just being connected to Him?
In Accra, I learned quickly that a slow connection was much better than no connection. Maybe you're not a high-octane pray-er, and you wonder if you should even bother. But some prayer is better than none, and God delights in our communication with Him, even if we don't have the biggest band-width or the hottest connection. Forget the gadgets, the new-fangled methods, and suggested patterns. Just talk to the Father. He's always available, and you'll be encouraged at the news from home.