Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear. ~ Isaiah 65:24 NIV Photo by Storyblocks
by Linda Veath
I sighed and leaned back in my chair, having just fought with a major department store’s online shopping cart. All I had wanted to do was purchase earrings with the gift card a friend had given me. But it had become a battle of wits. So far, I’d lost.
The online customer rep had offered no help or hope when I called for assistance. Neither did her supervisor.I finally hung up.
Battle #2 started the next night. This time, I actually got an order uploaded to my cart, but the “pay button” wouldn’t accept my card. Two customer reps later, I finally found someone who could help me. She didn’t know what was wrong with my computer, BUT, she said, “I can place the order for you.”
Hello? Why hadn’t the other customer service reps done that?
A few days later when my earrings arrived, I started — started not finished — wrestling with my feelings about the store’s customer service. I made myself a cup of hot chocolate, anticipating that the warmth of my drink, the softness of my sofa, and a “Thank you, God,” would lull me into a pleasant nap. Instead an idea for a Divine Detour devotion popped into my head.
Can you imagine what our lives would be like if our Heavenly Father ran the universe like those first three department store reps? We would ask for help, and He would say, “I don’t know what’s wrong… I don’t know how to fix it… You’re on your own, lady.”
Can you imagine what our lives would be like if our Heavenly Father ran the universe like those first three department store reps?
The celestial computer system would crash, the Universal Internet would lock up, and He would just shrug His shoulders. We’d be stuck wondering when and if our problems could ever be fixed.
But our God doesn’t run His “store” like that. He created us for joy – in this world and in our relationship with Him. He wants us to rest wholly in Jesus’ arms every day. 24/7. He hears the cries of our heart and answers our prayers even before we utter them. He loves us and sent His Son to die on the cross so that our sins would be forgiven.
The customer service rep who guided me in the right direction – accomplishing my needs in another, more personal way — gave me what I had prayed for. Something our God always does for us. He’s an always online God — always ready to listen and to help — always ready to pour down His love, and always ready to remind us that He will never, never, NEVER forsake us.
Trust Him in all things. (And let the computers take care of themselves.) God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ ~ Hebrews 13:5 NIV