By Susan Zebolsky
May 15, 2006

Recently, I spent a quick five minutes text messaging back and forth with my daughter in Bible college. Here is the conversation:

“What doing?”
“Nothing. You?”
“Headed home. Long day.”
“Got homework here.”
“Prayer meeting here at 7.”
“Gotta go. Luv u. Bye.”
“Same here. Bye.”

Now I am happy to say that this is not the only communication I had with her that day because she called me later and we talked for a long time. Yet as I replayed the interaction over in my mind, it struck me that sometimes I have a tendency to “text message” God, kind of like this:

“Hey God, it’s me, how you doing? I need this and this and this,
and by the way, could you take care of this also? Gotta go. Love You, bye.”

Somehow I think my Lord and Savior probably wants more interaction than a text message with a wish list and a “how You doin’?” He wants a real conversation, so that we can hear what He thinks about what is going on in our lives and can talk to us. When my daughter called me later that night, we had a real talk about things going on in her life, and I was able to give her some ideas and wisdom for handling a situation that had arisen.

Text messaging is great for “meet me at 6”, and “I’m home,” but for a real conversation, you need face to face contact. A real walk with God will not occur with nothing but text messaging going on between us and God. As the New Testament clearly states, “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).

We must talk to Him face to face every day, or our relationship with Him will wither on the vine.

© 2006, Susan Zebolsky

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Susan Zebolsky attends Christ Apostolic Church in Albion, Michigan, where she serves as church secretary and choir director. Although her birth certificate lists her birthdate as being midway through the Twentieth Century, her children are very sure she is only 12 years old. She is also a charter member of the Traffic Cone Preservation Society.