If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV
The new telephone technologies are amazing. I remember when a person could converse with another over a telephone, called a landline, stationary to a specific location. Today we have mobile phones. Using them, we can talk from almost anywhere in the world to almost anyone else who has a phone anywhere in the world. Beyond this, these new mobile phones can provide remarkable services. Most models provide automatic location and global positioning services.
Recently, my phone even provided me a powerful personal sermon. I had just learned about and activated the service that calculates the user’s screen time. This service registers the user’s face engagement with the phone screen. In the busyness of meetings and responsibilities, I promptly forgot about this service. One morning as I was in deep thought working on a spiritual lesson, my phone, which is always close by, gave one of those familiar signals that indicate a message. Of course, I dropped everything to check my phone immediately without the slightest hesitation. It was my screen time report – the report of my face time with the phone screen.
The report that flashed up told me that my screen time with my phone was up by 2 percent, to five hours per day. Could that really be possible? That was incredible. Then the Holy Spirit asked, What would the statistics be if the phone were registering and reporting your Word time or face time with God in His Word? Ouch! Would it be up or down in percentage over the previous reporting period? God says: “If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land“ (2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV).
Could these ‘wicked ways‘ simply be my getting caught up in my own will and pursuits – even in my service for God – that prevent me from spending time with God? The Word says that we should turn to Him, which I take to mean more face time with God, more often in His Word. He promises that He will heal our land – perhaps that is our families, our churches, our neighborhoods, our life situations. Let us increase our face time with God.
Color my World with Love ©2020 General Conference Women’s Ministries Department