Prayer Texting

Most children and many adults have a mobile. It’s a valuable tool of communication, not only as a portable phone, but also in word messages known as ‘texting’. We were on holiday in Canada and found it so useful to keep in touch with our family by sending and receiving text messages as we travelled around.

I’m only a beginner at using my thumb in tapping out the message – I’m sure you young people are used to wearing out your thumbs in sending out messages to your friends – but it was amazing to receive a reply within minutes from our children back in the UK some 5,000 miles away!

This made me think of communicating with God our heavenly Father. Do you know what it’s called? It’s prayer! We read in the Gospels that Jesus often went to a quiet place to pray to His Father, but it wasn’t just one-way communication. No, God replied to Him by the Holy Spirit, to encourage and help Him. And He still does it today.

God is waiting to receive our text messages as we pray to Him. They don’t have to be long – my texting were only 25 words or so, often in the kind of shorthand used by texters – but God understands even the shortest, stumbling prayer, ‘Lord help me, Lord save me.’ And how does he reply? He does it in words – do you know how? Through what is written in the Bible.

God is ‘texting’ us all and from every part of the Bible. In the text of Scripture God is calling us to salvation. He’s speaking to us in Old Testament history, calling us to rejoice in His marvellous works in creation and providence. He’s speaking to us in the Psalms, giving us wonderful examples of repentance, worship and commitment. He’s speaking to us in the Prophets, displaying His sovereign dealings with mankind and warning us of judgement to come. He’s speaking to us in the Gospels, drawing us to Christ, the only Saviour of sinners. He’s speaking to us in Acts of the Apostles, as we read the story of the young churches. He’s speaking to us in the Letters to the churches from the apostles, showing us how to live in a way worthy of the gospel. He’s speaking to us in Revelation, allowing us to get a glimpse of heaven and how He’s working His purposes out. God is speaking. How obediently are you listening?

When we were in Canada the rechargeable battery of our mobile ran down and unfortunately the charger we use in the UK didn’t work there but a kind shopkeeper charged it up. This reminded me that we need help from others in our lives – our parents, friends in church, our minister and Sunday School teacher.

Well, young people, enjoy your texting and especially the prayer texting. It has the great advantage over the mobile, where you have to pay for your calls, because texting God is absolutely free!