Beepers

Beepers – those electronic devices that emit a signal or vibration when paged. I remember the first time I acquired one; it was day one of my medical residency training. I must confess I felt important carrying a beeper. That illusion quickly vanished when that irritating noise invaded quiet waking moments or precious sleep while on duty more than 100 hours a week. I soon dreaded the sound of my beeper.

When speaking with a Romanian physician who was studying in the United Kingdom. I asked her about the differences between the practice of medicine in Romania and in the UK. She indicated that a major difference for her was the use of a beeper. In Romania, beepers and pagers are rarely used, whereas in the UK, virtually every physician wears them. Even as she acknowledged the helpfulness of using a beeper, she said that the noise and activity that it created was overwhelming.

Applying this concept to our relationship with God, this same physician said that God is beeping us throughout the day. However, God's beeper has a soft tone that is often not heard in the din and chaos of life. She said that she was working hard to train her ears to hear the special tone of God's beeper so that she could answer its call. How true; the "noise" of excessive activity, overloaded minds and anxious hearts often crowds out the voice of God. This week, let us lean our ears toward the whispers of God.

"The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." (1 Kings 19: 11-12 NIV)

Sharing the journey with you,