Have you ever been in a desperate situation, and you picked up the phone to call someone and you got the busy signal? Or you sent a text to someone and they did not respond right away back to you? We are living in a time when we expect open lines of communication all the time. We carry our cell phones on us and we feel like we have lost our best friend if we accidentally leave them behind. When we send an email, we are expecting a reply from the person we sent the message to before the end of the day, or we assume they are ignoring us … they don’t love us anymore … or they are in the hospital and cannot respond (okay, I exaggerated a bit for effect).
A long time ago, we had one phone in our house (before cell phones were invented … yes, I am old). That phone was a rotary phone, meaning you had to put your finger in the hole with the number under it, and spin the dial around until it stopped and release it – for all seven numbers (I know, it seems impossible)! We had what was called a “party line” in our home. That meant that we shared the phone line with some other people. There were times you would pick up the phone, hear another person speaking, and gently hang up. You would wait a few minutes and pick up again. If you heard a dial tone, you were free to make your call. If you called and the person you were calling was already on the phone you got an annoying “busy signal.” Times have changed a good bit from those days.
I remember a time when we received a frantic call from one of our daughters who was in college. It was around 9 pm when she called, and her first words were, “Where have you guys been? I tried to call you this afternoon and no one answered!” She had an important decision to make, and she wanted some advice before giving her answer. We did not have our phones with us, and had no idea that she felt this need to hear from us. I am thankful that when I need to talk with my Heavenly Father, He is always available for me. David said it this way: “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:16-17).
Notice that David called upon God evening, morning and noon. In other words, David realized the power of praying without ceasing. He was going before God all day long with the things he needed. How about you? Are you asking God for help before you call your family or friends? Do you trust God to help more than trusting others? I can tell you for sure that your family and friends will fail you at times, but God will take your call!