Green Pastures
Weekly Devotional

Telephone

​

Did you ever play the game of telephone when you were a kid?  You know, several kids would sit in a line or a circle, one person beginning the game by whispering a statement into the ear of the next person. That person would pass that same message on to the next person on down the line it went.  It was interesting to hear what was said by the last person. Usually, the final statement was quite different from how the message had begun, sometimes hilariously so.

 

I thought of that recently when I tried to communicate a medical need to my doctor. Because it is difficult for me to get to have an in-person appointment with her, she and I do our business over the phone. Theoretically that should work, except that I do not get to speak to her directly. Everything must go through her receptionist/ nurse who would take down the details, consult with the Dr., who would then reverse the conversation (again, through the receptionist) and give me any medical input needed. So far, it usually works, I think, but how would I really know? Even after all the time this method has been in play, I am not completely at ease about it. How do I know whether the Dr. got all the pertinent information accurately and how do I know that the answer she gave the go-between is the one I got?  Game of telephone in action.

 

In trying to manage and navigate this new system I had to make a great leap of faith. But faith in what? In whom? I know that the Dr is well trained, and I should have faith in her. But do I have faith in her system? Not always. You see, I don’t know my Dr. or the receptionist very well on a personal level. Are they invested in their jobs and willing to pay close attention? Are they totally competent to be in charge of my health and my life?  Doctors are human and prone to err. Can I really trust them to get everything right? There it is - the word “trust”. My trust is foundationally in God – His love for me and His promises to care for me. 

​

“For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”  (Isaiah 41:13)    It helps to know that the Lord is ultimately the source of my hope and confidence, and He will enable the medical team to do what needs doing.

 

The best part of knowing God is caring for us is that we never need to wonder whether He will get our prayer messages accurately. He is a God of details, after all. It is so exciting to know that He had the right message before I said or even thought a word of my need.  He has full focus when I tell Him my needs, no matter what they are, how many others are talking to Him at the same time in whatever language they are speaking, or the incomplete information He is given.

 

“…before a word is on my tongue you know it.   “You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD .”  (Psalm 139:2 & 4)   No middle person to get the info screwed up. No game of telephone; it’s direct from my heart to God’s ears.

 

Recently my Dr. did not return my call to her. She had the information she needed so she could give me instructions I needed, but her receptionist/nurse never called back.  I continued to try to get through to her, but after many failures, my assumption was that my need wasn’t urgent enough for her to bother. Perhaps she’d had an emergency to deal with or maybe she just plain forgot.

 

That will never happen with God. He is always available – for any reason, any time of day or night, in any language. Sometimes we do not have a specific need; we just want to talk to someone who cares.  A big bonus is He never puts us on hold. When we need Him, He is totally attentive and ready to answer.

 

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” (Jeremiah 29:12). 

 

There may be a problem understanding and enacting what He tells me in return, and I may not like hearing His instructions to me. That fault does not lie with the Lord, but my own inability or unwillingness to receive his message.

No garbled messages and no telephones needed.

 

B. Klassen                  beatrice.klassen@outlook.com