Instant Messaging

Read Psalm 63:1-8

Even before they finish praying to me, I will answer their prayers.
-Isaiah 65:24 (TEV)

A loud "ping" sounded from my computer speakers. I blinked back tears of longing as a small notice appeared on my monitor. My daughter was online. She lives on a mission field on the other side of the world. I am in South Africa, but her computer and my computer were linked. I only had to respond. For the next fifteen minutes, we typed furiously, laughed at each other's comments, and enjoyed each other's company despite the many miles that separate us. Time seemed to stand still. In ways I cannot begin to understand, as soon as I hit enter on my keyboard in South Africa, my daughter in Venezuela could read my words. The secret is that we were both online at the same time.

I liken prayer to instant messaging. God is on one end of the communication, and I am on the other. Sometimes I fail to connect, and the messages cease to flow. But God is always online, waiting for me to return. I have no idea how prayer works, but I don't need to. I only need to make a connection.

by Shirley M. Corder (Eastern Cape, South Africa)