Daily Devotionals

Can You Hear My Plea?

Posted in Anger/Frustration

Scripture: “Lord, I call upon You, come to my aid quickly; listen to me when I call.” – Psalm 141: 1 (Oxford Study Bible)

Morning, God. Today I want to apologize to You for my response to a very awkward situation that I found myself in a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, I was having technical issues with both my cell phone and my television at the same time.

I don’t have great demands on these products – merely a dial tone for my phone and a clear picture on my television. Cosmic calendars, alert messages, cameras, and high def are okay, so long as they work and do not interfere with my basic needs.

To address my problems, I called the help numbers for the service providers. This was not a pleasant experience over a two-day period! First, an automated answering system tried to determine who I am and why I called. After guessing various passwords and access codes, I was asked further security questions, such as: (a) are you a real person, (b) where did you attend elementary school, and (c) where did you meet your wife? I was given 20 seconds to crack the secret code.

Trust me, I know where I went to elementary school and where I first met my wife. Some machine, however, determined that my answers were incorrect and proceeded to block me from my accounts. Thereafter, I was also blocked for trying to access my accounts too many times. Absolute frustration!

After two days of anger and ill temper, “Valerie” finally took pity on me, came to my rescue, and saw me through my problems. I offered up a prayer of thanksgiving for her.

Father, I was reaching out to You for help. I thought You may have not heard my pleas in my time of need. Please forgive me for feeling that way. I know You were always with me.

Vaguely, I remember a part of a dream that I had during this ordeal. I was expressing my frustrations with some unknown person. All I kept hearing were phrases like, “It builds character,” and, “Get over it, move on.” Maybe those were Your responses to my pleas?

In retrospect, Heavenly Father, I realize how blessed we are that we can reach out to you 24/7 and do not have to worry about passwords or security codes. You are always there for us when we are in need. We do not need high technology to develop and maintain our personal relationship with You.

Prayer: Father, thank You for making our ability to have a personal relationship with You so very easy. You are always there when we need You. You bring comfort and stability to our lives. Amen.

Submitted by Bartow Gilbert