Weekly Devotions

2 Samuel 6:1-11

The world we live in is a far different world than the world of our parents. Technological advances have improved our quality of life and modern tech genuises are making electric cars, solar energy and tiny houses a current reality, not just a futurist hope.

I, for one, am glad that I no longer have to spend my hot summer days in search of a cool breeze because of air conditioning. I do not worry how warm the summer heat may become. However, there are places in our lives outside the reach of technology that require us to do things the old fashioned way of spending time and doing hard work to get it done.

When David attempted to move the Ark of God to Jerusalem, he used the technology of his day--a cart pulled by oxen. It was a lot faster and more efficient to transport the Ark by cart but it was not the way that God had determined.

God had determined the Ark was to be transported by particular persons carried on special poles. When the ox stumbled and the Ark began to move, a person reached out to keep it from falling off the cart. A good thing but because a person touched the Ark that was not supposed to be touched, he was struck dead. The transport of the Ark was placed on hold for months until David could get the right people to carry the Ark the right way.

As much as we can benefit from change and technological advances, we should never jettison the things that take time and the things that sustained generations before us. Things such as prayer, fellowship, worship and hard work.

The pandemic has opened us to technology in ways that kept us connected and working while the world was on pause. Yet, technology is not a substitute for a life of faith that expects us to do God’s work God’s way. A way that still requires people, time, energy, patience, love and faith.

There is no rapid way to develop a prayer life or a life of faith--it takes time. We have to be willing to make ourselves available to the Spirit and wait on him to act