Our world is littered with gadgets and toys that are meant to "improve" our lives. With every passing year, new technology is released and distributed to the masses. Every technological advance made, a promise to make life easier is made alongside it. But we must ask ourselves this question. Has the technological revolution of the twenty-first-century delivered on its promise of an easier life?
Most of us are never truly disconnected from our devices. And why would we be? We have the world at our fingertips. In an instant, we can talk to a friend, go shopping, or even go on a virtual tour of the ancient pyramids. Technology has, without a doubt made things more convenient. That is the point; after all, technology is made to make life simpler for people. But one could argue that the overwhelming development of new tech has instead made life vastly more complicated.
All of our devices now have the ability to speak to us and each other. Even when we're alone, we are constantly on call. Whether we realize it or not, we are all waiting for the next buzz to come through. While this may seem like a small observation, it has significant implications. Our inability to disconnect has saturated our lives with white noise, and this is no coincidence. The enemy uses this white noise to muffle God's voice and decrease our ability to hear Him clearly. This isn't a new trick from the enemy. He has been using noise to his advantage from the beginning; technology is just his latest medium.
In the story of Elijah, we see where God speaks most clearly. God told Elijah to go up on the mountain to enter His presence. When Elijah arrived, a great and mighty wind arose, but God was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but God wasn't in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but God wasn't in the fire. After the fire, there was a still small voice, and that is where Elijah experienced God.
One would expect God to do something miraculous when He speaks, but more often than not, God chooses to whisper. God is always speaking, but we aren't always listening. Even when we do listen, however, many times, we are incapable of hearing God's voice because of all the noise we've allowed in our life. To hear God clearly, we must be very intentional about turning everything else off. When we eliminate the noise, open His Word, and enter his presence, we set ourselves up to hear God speak. The enemy will attempt to throw more noise our way when we become intentional, but if we choose to listen, we too can hear that still small voice.
With all the technology today, we are tethered to our phones. You very rarely see someone with a book. Let alone the Bible. I am guilty of it as well. But I do read my Bible on my phone. You are spot on Hunter. Thank you for the good read.