Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:3

Wouldn’t it be great if we had a direct phone line to God?

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could just pick up the phone and hear His voice giving us comfort, advice, direction, whatever we needed in that moment?

What if I told you that we already do?

How you ask?

Holy Spirit.

I may be dating myself here, but when I think about having a direct line to God, I’m always reminded of old-timey switchboard operators. You know, the folks who used to sit in a telephone office and literally plug phone lines into a switchboard to connect the phone in your house to the phone in someone else’s house.

In my mind, Holy Spirit is our switchboard operator keeping us in constant connection with God.

Like a switchboard operator, Holy Spirit is able to work best when we pick up the receiver on our end which we do by studying God’s Word or reaching out to Him prayer. God already knows what we’re thinking and feeling, but like any good relationship, He often waits until we’re ready to talk. When we reveal our need, even if our need is “God, I don’t know what I need, but I know I need some help.”, Holy Spirit, our divine connection to the Father given to us through acceptance of the living sacrifice of Jesus Christ, directs our call to the Father who in turn delivers guidance, hope, love, comfort, conviction, whatever we need, back through the Holy Spirit and into our hearts and consequently our minds.

Sometimes He shows us where to look in the Bible for His advice, comfort, peace, etc…

Sometimes we’re already in the Bible and He makes what we’re reading clearer and shows us how it applies to our lives.

Sometimes He calls us out and convicts our hearts to make a change, to apologize to someone, to redirect our footsteps to the path He desires us to take.

Regardless of the exchange, the interaction always results in a positive outcome when we listen and obey.

Sometimes that outcome is a long time in the works, but in my experience, it has always come eventually so I am able to say with confidence that in time it will come.

All that comfort, all that peace, all that joy, and all we have to do is pick up the line, open our hearts in honesty and humility, listen to Him, and obey.

The direct connection God offers us through Holy Spirit made possible by Jesus Christ is better than landlines or cellphones. The only interruption in service we experience with God is when we overload our “phones” (lives) with so many apps, programs, or games that we can’t get focused on Him or when we refuse to pick it up and dial Him.

I’ve spent the past several months clearing my life of distractions and setting my schedule in advance to put time with God, in His Word, in worship, in prayer at the top of my priority list. I’m better at it than I used to be, but I still have a lot of room to grow. I’d really appreciate prayers for discipline in this area. I pray in this area for all around me as well, for all the world actually, because knowing Him better and walking with Him closer has made all the difference for me and I know that it would be a life-changer for everyone the world around for the better also.

If you haven’t picked up the receiver and connected with God in a while, I encourage you to pick it up again today. Tarry in the presence of His glory and grace and be renewed.

If you stay on that line a lot, take a moment today to thank Him again for Christ’s sacrifice, for salvation, for Holy Spirit, for the Word, for His grace and love and mercy and goodness.

If you’re not sure what this line is that I’m talking about, or who Holy Spirit is, or what salvation means, reach out to me and I’ll tell you all about it, or, if you’ve heard about Jesus and salvation, reach out to the source and thank Him for His wonderful gift of life through Jesus Christ, commit your life to Him as well; it doesn’t have to be eloquent, a simple “I believe in you Jesus, Son of God, and that you died for my sin and rose again to bring me life everlasting. Thank you so much. I want to follow you and become a child of God.”

Whichever conversation you need to have, pick up the line today, right now if you can, and have it. You won’t regret it. I know that I never do.