I am a big Steve Arterburn fan. Steve is the Teaching Pastor at our church and hosts a daily call in Christian counseling show on Sirius XM. I listen when I can because, often, something Steve or one of his team says relates to my life at the moment. Today was no different.
It was time to cover my gray hair, so I had an appointment scheduled. I arrived a few minutes early and waited in the parking lot while listening to Steve’s program. I was staring out the front window while paying close attention when, suddenly, the screen on the dashboard blinked. A map popped up with directions to Sweet Husband’s favorite Tuesday night restaurant, as well as a notice that I was ten miles away. I was stunned! Today is Tuesday but how would this car know that tonight was the $6.95 Bacon Wrapped Filet dinner special? I picked up my phone, took a screen shot and sent it to Sweet Husband. He laughed but, to be honest, I was a little freaked out.
Sweet Husband and I have often commented that we believe our car is smarter than we are. Yikes! For example:
· It randomly tells us how far we are from home.
· It reminds us it is dangerous to take our eyes off the road while driving.
· The horn beeps twice if we leave the key fob in the car.
I could go on, but I am sure many of you experience the same with your vehicles.
Cars are not the only thing in our world in 2021 that makes me a little uncomfortable. Last week I was having dinner with a friend, and we were discussing mountain towns that would be a great vacation destination. I mentioned how pretty Park City, Utah was and suggested she might want to check it out. My phone was in my purse, on the seat next to me. The next morning, my Facebook feed showed multiple articles about Park City, Utah. Unbelievable!
It seems our vehicles and phones know way too much about us.
As I was driving home with fresh color covering my grays, Psalm 139 popped into my mind.
“1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. 5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!”
I do not take comfort in the fact that my car knows my dining habits and my phone is listening to everything I say, but I do take great comfort in knowing that God knows me inside and out, he knows everything there is to know about what I am, what I will do, where I will go and he still loves me so very much.
Romans 8:38-39 are two of my favorite verses:
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”
There is a lot of worry, uncertainty and anger in our world today. Life is tough but as this verse says, nothing that happens will be able to keep us from God’s love and care. That is a truth we can hold on to. No matter what happens, God loves us and will take care of us, if we ask him to.