1-800-God

I can’t stand when you call a company and instead of a person you get the computer:

Thank you for calling… whatever it may be…

Then the list of selections begins. Press 1 if, 2 if, 3 if and so on.

Who has time for that and whatever happened with the basic idea of customer service?  If I want to talk to a computer I’ll get on Facebook.

I dread calling Sears to fix an appliance. I have been lost in the land of “if you want to speak to someone about … press….” until I thought I would scream. I have called a company before and the selection I wanted wasn’t even on the list. I just sit pressing “0” in hopes someone would pick up and get me where I want to be.   I am guessing you know what I mean.  I almost expect it to say, “if you are calling and you want to talk to a real person, good luck because we are enjoying your frustration,” or “Oh, did you need help?” Just keep holding and pushing buttons. When we’re done making you crazy, we’ll pick up.” There are also the companies that have you speak your selection rather than press a button. Let me just say that “put me through to a person you stupid computer” is not something it recognizes. When I said that once it answered back, “I am sorry we didn’t get what you were saying.” At which point I have found myself looking like a cartoon character with steam coming out my ears as I yelled into the phone “operator!” By that time I had forgotten why I called in the first place.

Can you imagine if that was how God ran things?  Picture it, you are overwhelmed, you don’t think you can go on anymore and broken is an understatement. You fall to your knees (which is like picking up the phone), you cry out to God (which is like dialing the number) and you hear…

Thank you for calling God. Please choose from the following selections:

If you have praise, press 1 and leave a message. God will check it soon.

If this is an emergency and you are broken and need help press 2.

If you pressed 2 you then you hear:

Thank you to better serve you please choose from the following selections

       If you are sick and need healing press 1    

If you need strength press 2

If you need forgiveness press 3

If you need wisdom press 4

If you need rest press 5

If you need clarity, which falls under wisdom so press 6

To hear these choices again press 7

Now picture this, if you find the selection you need can you imagine if you finally get through and you hear. “We are sorry God is busy right now--please hold and when He has time He’ll be right with you.” Can you imagine being placed on hold and given what is to be angelic music to listen to?  Every once in a while, the music cuts out so you can receive a message, “We are sorry for your wait but God is busy right now. We know you have a problem that seems important to you and we hope to be with you soon. Thank you for your patience and you may feel free to call back at another time. Thanks, and God’s blessings.”

Wow, if God were like that would you really ever want to call out to Him if that was all you got. Thank goodness that is not how God works. 24/7 we have an open line to Him for everything.  He hears it all and He never is too busy to listen. Whether it is times of happiness or times of trouble I have learned to “run to the throne before I run to the phone.” Be it in times of weakness or whatever it is that is in front of me, I call on God first. Than I can ask my friends to pray with me but God is always my first call.  There has never been a busy signal when I call Him and I have never been asked to leave a voice mail. I know that I am just one prayer away from the best customer service ever. God has even given us an owner’s manual to guide us. Think of it as your phone directory to God. It is the Bible. It’s the living and breathing word of our loving God.

Just knowing that I never have to call during certain business hours, that I even have a helpful directory at my fingertips, is soothing to my soul. God is good and he will never leave you on hold. Philippians 4:6 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Now that brings joy to my heart and it is something to be truly thankful for.