Prayer and Pizza

Have you ever looked at a pizza and thought– “Wow, this reminds me of prayer?!” Me neither. But God works in mysterious, and sometimes mischievous, ways to teach us great lessons. God is an awesome teacher, and he often uses parables, object lessons, and analogies to illuminate his truth and make it memorable and comprehensible. God tends to use a lot of food-related analogies (bread and wine, fish, mustard seeds, vineyards and grapes, fatted calves, bitter herbs, yeast, and salt…), likely because he knows that the way to our hearts and minds is often through our taste buds!

So yesterday, as I was thinking about prayer (and listening to my stomach rumble a bit), I sat down to write, and I was suddenly thinking about how prayer is kind of like a pizza– a wonderful, freshly made pizza. The same ingredients that make a great pizza should help us build a great prayer life.

Every good pizza starts with dough. Every good prayer starts by recognizing our “knead” to rest on God’s grace, his promises, his timing, his strength, and his love. Whether your dough yields a traditional yeast and flour crust, a matzoh wafer, a cauliflower thin crust, a deep dish corn meal extravaganza, a flaky biscuit-dough crust, or even a culinary experiment, it provides a base for all the other ingredients. I could get side-tracked into an entire blog just about the crust analogies (three-ingredient, yeastless crust: Holy Trinity? self-rising crust: resurrection? round crust: eternity? pray without ceasing? crusts that are tossed, pressed, rolled out, or put on the rack?), but I’ll let that sit there and go on to the toppings.

One of the wonderful things about pizza is the endless combination of toppings. Prayer can be just as unique as the person and occasion involved. Some prayers are simple two- or three-ingredient prayers. Some are piled on with praise or loaded with concerns. Some prayers include ingredients that are sweet, or bitter, or crushed, or salty. Some prayers are meaty, some are fruity, some are cheesy, and some are saucy.

But ah…the aroma! And the final product! Something miraculous happens when simple (or complex) ingredients combine on the crust and come through the heat. God takes our worries, our praises, our confessions, our remembrances, our groaning, and our rejoicing, and turns them into something supernatural and mysterious. He compares our prayers to an aroma (like incense, not precisely pizza, but..) rising to Heaven. Tangy, pungent, comforting, or mouth-watering, our prayers become satisfying, nourishing, powerful, and enticing, beyond what our mere words could ever produce.

The next time you make a pizza (or order one)–thank God for his gift of the food you eat– but remember to thank him for the miracle of prayer as well.

Buon Appetito!

July 1, 2026 0

Prayer and Politics

At the risk of alienating several family members and friends, I feel I need to make the following statement: The United States of America is not, has never been, and will never be a “Christian Nation.” I am not saying this in disparagement of my homeland– I’m not suggesting it is an irreligious nation. But I think the term “Christian Nation” gets used presumptiously to suggest that America is uniquely righteous, or immune from criticism or judgment. America is not a theocracy, and it is not a bastion of Christian virtue. We are a nation “under God”, but not a nation that recognizes God as its supreme ruler. Our government, while based on principles handed down through centuries of Judeo-Christian practice, is built around documents written by and for the people of this nation, independent of their adherence to that practice or to those doctrines. 1st Amendment and Religion

Our government does not sponsor Christian churches, nor does it require its citizens to belong to a particular religion or religious group in order to enjoy its rights, freedoms, and protections. We do not have federal laws that punish those who believe other tenets or practice other faiths that do not fall under the Judeo-Christian umbrella. Our courts may limit the practice of religion (including Christianity) when it conflicts with a “compelling” governmental interest, such as public safety. And our citizens who are practicing Christians are not united in how they apply Christianity to politics, and vice-versa. Our members of Congress are not elected based on their adherence to a religious practice, and our leaders are not required to be clergy (the very thought is pretty laughable to most of us in today’s political climate!). America is designed to be a nation that practices one of the most basic tenets of the Bible–that humans have the gift of Free Will, and the right to use it.

Having said all that, I also want to be clear that the Judeo-Christian tradition has played and (for now) continues to play an enormous role in our laws, societal construct, and civilization. I’m not here to ignore that or dismiss it as unimportant. My goal is to point out that prayer and politics should not be conflated or equated–prayer is not and never has been the equal of political thought or action–prayer is always superior!

As Christians, not only in America, but anywhere in the world, we are called upon to live worthy of Christ and his Gospel. That doesn’t mean burying our heads in the sand or staying silent in the face of evil and injustice– we should be engaged in our communities, and in our civic responsibilities. But it also doesn’t mean that we protest, promote, plot, and proceed politically in our own power or wisdom. We are commanded to pray for those in leadership and authority– those we voted for and those we didn’t! We are commanded to submit to those same authority figures, to show them honor and respect, even if we are opposed to their policies and seeking to reverse those policies. We are commanded to live (as much as it depends on us) in peace with our neighbors, to love our enemies, and bless those who curse us. Our patriotism and our political expression must be in line with, and submit to, our commitment to follow Christ. To show contempt or hatred for our nation and its leaders is to show contempt for the God who is sovereign over them. But that same God will not excuse us for turning a blind eye to sin and corruption, or worse yet, covering it up or calling it righteousness. Our prayers, both personal and political, need to be based in truth and love.

Even as we live in tumultuous times, we are commanded to pray. In relation to our nation and our society, I think there are at least four important things to keep in mind:

Our real citizenship is in Heaven. Praying for our nation, its leaders, its laws, etc., is in line with Scripture; worshiping our nation, its leaders, its laws, etc., is idolatry.
Our neighbors, our nation, our world– they won’t change because we enact a new law, win an election, change the economy, or wipe out war. People, nations, and societies will change because they have had an encounter with Jesus Christ, and they have been transformed by his Grace. Are they seeing HIM in our actions, our Facebook and Twitter feeds, our interactions on the street; are they hearing HIM in our conversations; are they overwhelmed by HIS grace when they meet us? Pray that God will help us be faithful in the small things. Our actions speak louder than our words– and that includes the words of our prayers!
God’s ways are not our ways–we need to be careful that we are not praying for (and demanding, and offering on our part) a quick compromise, a superficial spirituality, and a cheap grace that substitutes for a deep and lasting revival. Don’t ask God to “fix” the world and then wonder why he sends the repairman to your door, or recruits you to scrub toilets!
We are in a battle, but it is not with people and it is not going to be won by playing politics–we must learn to identify the real enemy, so we can put on the correct armor and reach for the right weapons. Our shield is not the flag– it is Faith. Our sword is not a clever argument– it is the simple truth of the Gospel. Victory has already been declared. Remember to rejoice when we pray for our nation and our world– the Lamb has Overcome!

Prayer connects us to the power of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, whose banner over us is Love.

June 29, 2026 0

Spoiler Alert!

I love being “in the know”–being part of a great secret and knowing that I got the information first (or at least earlier than someone else). But I don’t like spoilers– learning about things that I was hoping to discover for myself. I don’t want to know the ending to that new novel from my favorite author until I read it. I don’t want to know how the new blockbuster movie ends before I have had a chance to see it. I don’t want to know that my favorite character in a TV show dies at the end of season three before watching it in all its tragic impact.

There are, however, some “spoilers” that should be shared, and God has given them to us in His word.

First and foremost– in the battle of good and evil– God Wins! The victory has already been won, and the outcome is certain.
Second– Christ Messiah will return to earth. He will come in triumph and glory. While none of us know the hour or the day of that return, it will come quickly, like a flash.
Before Christ’s return, we will face chaos and trouble in this world. That is also certain, though we have the power to face it and God has the power to turn it to good.
We will face death and the judgment of God–those who trust in Jesus Christ will still die; we will still be judged. Only the blood of Christ, and our faith in his finished work will save us from the wrath our acts deserve.
Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of the Father (Phil. 2:10-11).

Knowing these “spoilers” doesn’t ruin our prayer life– instead, that knowledge gives us the power, the passion, and the promise to pray as if our lives depend on it! Moreover, it should move us to pray and act on these truths in all our dealings with others. Not to become arrogant about our knowledge, but to be compassionate and forgiving toward those who don’t have it or haven’t accepted it.

June 15, 2026 0

Passport Prayers

I get to travel every day. I journal my prayers in a daily notebook. Prayer Journal (click here to get ideas or learn more) Each day has a heading and four sections– one for birthdays or other “memory days”; one for thematic prayers (generalized themes like “family”, “community”, “global concerns”, “culture”, etc.); one for urgent requests, and one for a region of the world–nations, major cities, local communities. On busy days, I send a short prayer and try to remember what I know, or imagine what I’d like to know, about that area. Some days, I have the luxury of time to look up information or history about that area– what is the language, capital city, literacy rate, average age, major religion, geography, economy, etc.

Our world is full of wonder, variety, crisis, and opportunity–I want to add all of this to my pursuit of prayer. It reminds me of several things:

I am not the center of the universe– my issues and problems are not unique or exceptional.
God has placed me here to interact with others–I can’t reach out and connect with 6 billion others, but I can become more aware of their needs and way of life.
The world is a big place–seeing it on the screen via the internet sometimes causes me to forget that. And as I see how big the world is, I also need to remember that God is even bigger!
The world is full of variety. Not everyone lives or thinks or worships as I do. Not everyone faces the same circumstances, the same temptations, the same struggles. Yet God sees and hears each one who calls on him. He doesn’t have trouble understanding languages and dialects– he doesn’t get culture shock. He is not an American Jesus, or a Brazilian Jesus, or a Korean Jesus. He’s not an urban Jesus or a remote mountain village Jesus, or a gated community Jesus. When we enter eternity, we will share it with amazing brothers and sisters from every corner of creation. He’s got the whole world in his hands!

Many millions of people around the globe have never heard the Gospel– or they’ve heard lies and misrepresentations. Millions of other believers are being persecuted for believing in Jesus or for sharing the good news of Salvation in His Name. People in every nation, every community, are suffering.

We are commanded, as Christians, to “go into all the world” and preach the gospel. I may not be able to travel to “all the world”, but I can “go” in prayer, sharing on-line, and learning about needs, as well as in sending out and praying for those who can travel.
I am grateful for the opportunities God has given me– to learn about him and worship him in freedom; to travel and participate on short-term mission opportunities; to meet and share with missionaries, travelers, students, foreign workers, and others who share their culture and knowledge and perspectives; and for the global work of the Savior, and my privilege to share in it.

Time to pack my bags– I’m heading to Ireland tomorrow!

June 12, 2026 0

The Smallest Detail

Have you ever looked at a series of pictures that “zoom” in or out (or both)? Something that seems “normal” in size suddenly becomes a tiny detail in a much larger picture. Or one tiny detail grows large enough to show intricacies hitherto unseen. It is mind-blowing to think of how many details there are in God’s universe–little things that go unnoticed and unappreciated every day. But not by God. God knows and cares about every single detail– from the individual hairs on your head, to the variations and whorls of each of your fingerprints; from the gradations of colors in each moment of each sunrise, to the exact air temperature in each square foot of atmosphere around the world; from the wings of every butterfly to the fins of every fish– nothing escapes his notice or falls through the cracks.

We can pray with confidence that God hears every word we say, and knows the thoughts we can’t even put into words. I believe God loves to hear all our details. He loves listening to us, because of his great love for us. He wants us to hold nothing back. This is especially true when we pour out our deepest delights and our most pressing burdens. He wants to share them with us– to double our joy, and shoulder our pain.

I was reminded about God’s attention to detail while reading His word one morning. I was reading through one of the books of history (II Kings) in which the various kings of Israel and Judah are listed, along with short accounts of “what happened” during their reigns–some kings are given several paragraphs or a couple of chapters; others merely a sentence or two. In the midst of all this, there is a curious reference in II Kings 14:25. King Jeroboam II of Israel is accounted a generally wicked king, but he did restore some of the ancient boundaries of the country, “in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah, son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher”– that’s right, THAT Jonah– the one of the giant fish and the adventure in Ninevah (see Paltry Prayer ). How many times have I read the story of Jonah, and passed right over this reference to him in another book! The Bible is full of such hidden hints and corroborating details. I believe that God put them there to remind us of his great attention to detail. The God who lists genealogies throughout his word— long lists of otherwise forgotten names; the one who makes a point of listing palace guards and minor officials, and builders and temple workers–this God sees ME! He sees YOU! He hears us when we call. He knows all of our quirks and idiosyncrasies– and loves each unique detail of our makeup.

May 29, 2026 0

Praying for Time

I have a very bad habit of procrastinating. I wait until the last minute to tidy up, make that important phone call, or write my latest blog entry…living alone for so many years, it went mostly unnoticed by others and unchecked by me. My husband is very patient about certain aspects of this habit, but he has taught me much about the value of getting on top of tasks, instead of always playing catch up.

One of the lies I have told myself is that “I just don’t have enough time..” to do certain things. But God has given every one of us the same 24 hours in a day. Some of us have more unstructured time, but no one has more actual time than anyone else. And I will always find time for the things I choose to do first–whether they are more important, more urgent, or just more fun.

Time is a gift. How we spend it shows how much we value it. I can waste time, invest time, spend time, hoard time, share time, or lose time, but I can’t buy, sell, or trade for more of it. I can pray for it– there is a precedent in the Bible. Hezekiah was the king of Judah. God told him that he would die soon, and Hezekiah prayed and wept. God sent the prophet Isaiah to tell the king that he would grant him another 15 years of life, as well as deliverance from his enemy, the king of Assyria ( see II Kings 19 and 20). Hezekiah was generally a good king, but in the extra 15 years that God granted him, he was foolish, and put his nation at risk. Having more time didn’t make Hezekiah a better king, nor did it bring his nation peace and security…all it did was prolong his life and defer Judah’s destruction for a few short years.

What makes time precious is that we don’t know how much of it we have here. Our lives pass in a flash– what we do today in haste or wasted pleasure can’t be recovered. But it can be redeemed. I can learn to use time more wisely. I can pray for good counsel in the stressful days as well as the times of leisure. Rather than ask for more time, I’ve started to ask for more wisdom to USE the time I’ve been given. I’ve been amazed at how much more I can accomplish when I seek God’s counsel about time, rather than worry and work at making “more” of it. And some of the other things that took up so much of my time? I still have time for some of them, too– after the important things get done.

May 20, 2026 0

Suffering from “Prayer’s Block”

Do you ever suffer from “prayer’s block”– those times when you bow down, and your prayers seem stilted, or your mind keeps wandering, and you find yourself coming to God with…less. Not necessarily with nothing– you can always thank God for your daily bread, or worship the fact of his majesty or holiness or search your heart for confession or praise. But you’re left feeling like you really want to bring more…
Am I the only one who ever feels this? I don’t think so; and I don’t feel it often, but when I do, I just wish I had something like a prayer prompt to take the conversation to another level.

That’s when I find books extremely helpful. I recommend a personal prayer journal– one that has pages for each day, and lots of space to write requests and reminders as you pray. I’m on my tenth year through a journal, and it has names of people who are celebrating birthdays or anniversaries on that day– including sad anniversaries of losses or challenges. But even if you don’t have a journal, there are other great and creative ways to jump-start a great conversation with God. See the Edit Page “Prayer Journal” ‹ Pursuing Prayer — WordPress page on my ideas for a Prayer Journal, or search for other wonderful ideas online to get you started.

Have you ever prayed a page from the phone book? (or your personal address list? or another list?) It can feel awkward and impersonal to pray for people simply by name and without knowing anything about them, but it can also be instructive. How so? It reminds you that:

You are one person in a larger community of people you may not even know. We live in a world that is more connected than ever before; yet we can be more isolated than ever before. Neighbors come and go, communities grow (or shrink) without our awareness, unless we make ourselves look around.
Your problems are part of a larger reality. Sometimes, our prayer life becomes narrow as we focus on our own struggles and needs. Looking around doesn’t mean that our struggles are any less painful, important, or real; it does remind us, though, that we live in a big world– and that we have an even bigger God!
You may be the only Jesus another person will ever know… your prayers for a stranger may have unexpected consequences for them, as well as for you.

Similarly, you can pray through an old yearbook, or your friends list on Facebook or LinkedIn, the members of your favorite band or the cast of your favorite movie or TV show, the members of your local government. The list goes on. Rummage through your closet or look at old photos– are you finding anything to be thankful for, or reminded of times when God or others blessed you? Pray the newspaper (or your news feed)–there’s plenty of fodder there!

Of course, there is also an opportunity to ask God to bring things to mind as you struggle. You can pray and praise all the names of God– Almighty, Prince of Peace, Savior, Redeemer, Lamb of God… Or you can pray about His attributes– His sovereignty, His Holiness, His Mercy, His Faithfulness… We serve a very BIG God!

Prayer’s Block can happen to anyone and for many different reasons. I may need to confess a sin that is getting in the way of my relationship with God. Or I need to slow down my thoughts and meditate, rather than rushing through a list of requests or burdens. There are days when my heart is just too full (or maybe too empty) to concentrate. And it’s not that God doesn’t know or understand such times. But in this pursuit, I want to bring my best, and if “prayer’s block” comes, I don’t want it to be an excuse for missing out on the best that God has for me.

April 10, 2026 0

Looking Back

In my pursuit of prayer, I have found it helpful to keep a Prayer Journal. One of the reasons is that I can look back and see what prayer concerns and issues I prayed for weeks, months, or even years ago. I also save space in my journal to go back and fill in how God answered those requests, or what progress has been made in those areas of concern. see also: Proactive Prayer Points

The Bible warns us to be very careful about looking back…the most famous example is the tragedy of Lot’s wife (Genesis 19). In looking back, she lost her chance to rebuild a life after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and was turned into a pillar of salt. In the book of Exodus, the newly freed Israelites grumbled about their circumstances and looked back with fondness on their lives in Egypt, forgetting their oppression in their homesickness for certain foods (Exodus 16). Spending too much time and energy on the past leaves us with little motivation and energy for the present or future. The past should never become more important to us than moving forward. If we long for the past, if we romanticize it or cling to it, fearing the changes and opportunities to come, we can stagnate, and miss the blessings playing out right before our eyes.

But we should take some time periodically to look back in order to gain perspective. The same Children of Israel who grumbled about leaving Egypt, once they arrived in the Promised Land, were commanded to remember their wandering in the wilderness, and told to teach their children about the past (Deuteronomy 8). Holidays and religious rites were instituted as reminders of the past. But this kind of looking back gives us renewed encouragement, incentive, and momentum to keep going by showing us how far we’ve come, and reminding us of God’s faithfulness.

One of the great benefits of reading through the Bible is that we are reminded of all the times God acted on behalf of His people– from providing for the Israelites in their 40-year desert odyssey, to protecting Christ’s early disciples as they spread the Gospel. God’s faithfulness is demonstrated time and again– for His Glory, and for Our benefit. God was at work then, and He is still at work in our own time! One great old hymn challenges us to “Count (our) blessings– name them one by one. Count (our) many blessings; see what God has done!” It is encouraging and inspiring to call to mind all the times that God has “shown up” in difficult circumstances or protected us from other dire events or losses that we don’t even know about.

I am especially encouraged when I see how God has answered prayer–so often, I’ve forgotten about trials and struggles that have come my way–issues that seemed huge in the moment, but in hindsight look insignificant. Sometimes, God’s answers were immediate and breath-taking. Sometimes, they were subtle and were revealed in several stages. Sometimes, the answers revealed how God was working beyond anything I imagined! Often, the requests reveal how I have grown (or not!) to trust him more or to listen better to those around me.

And, just like that, I also have material to add to today’s prayers– gratitude for prayers answered, hope for new growth, praise for God’s faithfulness, and confession for times I have doubted or looked back in envy or regret.

March 25, 2026 0

Where’s the Joy?

I love puns– friends from all over the world send me the craziest puns, “punny” images, silly videos, and awful jokes. Except for those that are patently offensive and find their humor at someone else’s expense, I really enjoy them all.

Someone has said that puns are the lowest form of humor, but I disagree. In fact, I often find that puns, like humor in general, can cause us to explore a serious topic in ways we would otherwise avoid. The image above tickled my funny bone, but it also caused me to think. Where is my Joy? Do I bottle it up and hide it down in my cart, or does it bubble up, iridescent and smelling of sunshine (and possibly lemons) from deep down in my heart?

I especially find myself looking for joy in the ordinary tasks of life. I really do not enjoy doing dishes, for example. But I can find joy– not the brand of dish soap, but the real thing!– even in such an ordinary chore. I can find joy as I clean the toilet, as I sort clothes for the wash, as I drive around town to do errands, and as I set aside time to pray for family and friends who are hurting and discouraged.

Prayer is a serious topic, but it shouldn’t be joyless. Even in our troubles, we can be confident that we are loved, cherished, and precious. In our grief and sorrow, we are not overwhelmed (though it often feels as if we are) when we have this kind of joy. It will wash away despair, anger, doubt, and weariness, as it rises up. We pray for so many other things– health, wisdom, forgiveness– we should also pray for Joy. Not the false and fleeting joy of a silly pun, or the veneer of joy that lies and says that “everything is great.” We need the kind of joy that sings through tears, laughs at storms, defies despair, and shakes the rafters!

Many people read about Jesus and conclude that He was a great teacher, but very sober and serious. And the Bible describes Him as a “man of sorrows” and one “acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3). Yet the Gospels also show Jesus as a man who welcomed children, shared meals with His friends, entered into wedding celebrations, and told His disciples to rejoice in the midst of persecution. Jesus was not a man who took life lightly, but He was a man who felt joy in simple things. He was able to relax in the joyful knowledge that even grief and pain are temporary, and our circumstances do not define our life. And joy is also listed as a fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23–“But the Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. Against such things, there is no law.”

We need the quiet, blessed assurance that God is in His Heaven and even if all is not well with the world, God still has everything well in hand. Such joy, lodged deep in our heart and soul can keep us from buckling under the weight of loss, the exhaustion of stress, and the threat of chaos. It can fill us with peace and contentment, even as we go through ordinary or even dreary days. We need a new “Dawn” of “Joy” (yes, I had to include another pun). We need to pray for joy. We need to cherish it. And we need to pass it on.

The world could really use it!

March 20, 2026 0

Prayer In the Digital Age

Wilt thou love God, as He thee? then digest,
My soul, this wholesome meditation,
How God the Spirit, by angels waited on
In Heaven, doth make His Temple in thy breast.
The Father, having begot a Son most blest,
And still begetting (for he ne’er begun),
Hath deigned to choose thee, by adoption,
Coheir to His glory and sabbath’s endless rest;
As a robbed man which by search doth find
His stol’n stuff sold must lose or buy again,
The Son of glory came down, and was slain,
Us whom He had made, and Satan stol’n, to unbind.
‘Twas much that man was made like God before,
But that God should be made like man, much more.
John Donne, Holy Sonnets 1633, No. 11

In the Garden

1 I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.

Refrain:
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

2 He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing;
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing. [Refrain]

3 I’d stay in the garden with Him
Tho’ the night around me be falling;
But He bids me go; thro’ the voice of woe,
His voice to me is calling. [Refrain]

Baptist Hymnal, 1991

Sanctus Real– Pray (You Tube)

Times have changed– God has not.

God does not have a Facebook or X account; he’s not in Pinterest or Snapchat. He doesn’t post selfies or have a blog. But he is the same God that Adam and Eve walked with in the Garden of Eden; the same God who spoke to Moses as a man speaks to his friend. He is the same God who listened to the impassioned Psalms of King David, and the lamentations of Jeremiah. He is the same God who has inspired awe and fear in the hearts of apostles, poets, philosophers, songwriters, and evangelists over the centuries.

When we come before God, it is tempting to see him through the lens of our own times– we want him to be one of our “peeps”, accessible, someone who will answer a text or voice mail, “like” our post or “follow” us as we babble about our hours and days and show pictures of what we had for dinner or what we looked like heading out to the concert. We want him to be about US, instead of us laying down our lives for HIM.

Media– especially social media, can help or hinder our prayer life. We can access all kinds of helpful tools to focus our prayers, link up with prayer partners and groups, listen to inspiring music or peaceful slide shows for meditation… But more often than not, media becomes a distraction or even a substitution for real, serious, personal communication with God.

God is not our virtual friend; he’s not our “Bruh” or “the man upstairs.” He is the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe– every galaxy created at his command, every particle obedient to his whim. And he has given us the privilege to come before him as his adopted and beloved children to lay our hearts before him and receive his wisdom, forgiveness, strength, and joy. “Liking” your friends’ posts with Bible verses, sending a thumbs up or an emoji when someone puts up a picture of Jesus on their wall–if that’s the sum total of what you call worship, God has another name for it– Idolatry.

That may seem really harsh, but Idolatry is ANYTHING that we are worshiping in place of God himself. There’s a reason we don’t have statues of God the Father in temples and churches, synagogues, and chapels around the world. God warned us thousands of years ago about the dangers of creating substitutes. Even things that are meant to remind us of him can become substitutes for worship. That doesn’t mean that the crucifix necklace or the picture of Jesus knocking at the door are automatically evil– but when we stop reaching out to the real God, and focus on a false image, no matter how lovely or touching, we can fall into idolatry. And the distractions of the digital age have been shown to create isolation and depression, and become impediments among our human relationships.. We don’t have meaningful meditation or intimate conversations online with people at the other end– what makes us think that wireless devices will bring us closer to God?

That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t use technology to enhance our worship–just don’t make it an entertaining substitute for the real thing. You wouldn’t (or at least I hope you don’t) text and catch up on Twitter while having a face-to-face and heart-to-heart talk with your spouse or child. Give God the honor, the time, and the respect he deserves. You don’t have to live like a stone age hunter to get some alone time with God, but it is a great idea to set aside some time to unplug from media and the noise of this world, and plug into the wonder of meeting with God in the Garden.

February 27, 2026 0

Tag: Spirituality