86-If God Were An App, What Folder Would He Be Found In?
The hot August sun beat down on the back of my neck as I snipped, sliced, broke and tossed aside every small tree that rose over my head. Finish the job, I thought, bending a snapping another good size off-shoot of another dogwood tree that was hindering my neighbors view of the lake. Silas and Z worked hard to earn $40 a piece while I put in the sweat to completion. As another section was cleared out I took a second to use the backside of my gloved hand to wipe the drops of salty labor from my eyes. Totally worth it, I figured as I completed the entire job in under 4 hours, a wad of cash in hand for my toil and sweat.
The next morning was an instant game-changer as I shifted gears to trip mode that is taking off in a week. My left eye was baggy underneath and I had some tell-tale signs of poison ivy on my left wrist… oh no! There must have been some oil on my gloves when I wiped my face… I’ll get right into the doctors for a steroid shot and knock this thing out before it ever has a chance to get bad. The doctor put me on pill form of steroids which I started the same day… that was day one after exposure.
Day two, three and four I woke up with my eye completely swollen shut. As my spirit became more and more defeated with each medication and home remedy seeming to have no effect whatsoever, I started thinking about my prayer time with the Lord. I’m not standing in strength here, Lord. Where is my trust? Why was my first hope for healing in the doctor instead of Your grace and power? You will see this upcoming trip through… won’t You?
Want to track your time by activity? There’s an app for that. Have you dreamed of learning 3 new languages simultaneously? Probably not, but if you have there’s an app for that. Want to cool you house down an hour before you get home? There’s an app for that. Care to track your steps, heart-rate, food intake, calories, where you’ve used the bathroom in the world, send videos, use your phone as a walkie-talkie, or play a brain teaser with a stranger in Brazil? There’s an app for that. Want to connect with God? There’s and app for that. Care to see your faith grow and track your prayer/devotion time? There’s and app for that. Got poison ivy and you’re nervous it will impact your plans for an upcoming trip? There’s and app for that… take this, do that, pray this. God is not an app, nor is the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, yet I found myself trying to activate Him as if He were downloadable. God is not an app, He’s the Creator of the entire universe and demands our attention. He moves and we follow, not the other way around. How often have you prayed, Lord be with me today as I… this is exactly what I have done this week and I don’t think it’s very pleasing to my Savior. What is God doing? Let’s join Him in His work instead of using Him to work for us like the millions of apps out there to make our lives what we want them to be. Will you pray with me?
Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, King of the Universe, Savior of all mankind, hear our hearts. Take any form of pride and squash it, turn our attention to You and You alone and help us to see what You are doing around us and teach us to forget our own desires and join You! Holy Spirit, fill us to overflowing and cause us to bear the fruit of Your Spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control, and gentleness. You must increase and we must decrease. Amen.
-Matt
