Has this modern world in which we live failed us? Have we missed out on the processes that enable growth in virtue and wisdom? Have the baits of this modern society left us unsatisfied and longing for the substantial, the experience through which depth of meaning are found? The modern world is not just American, but largely world-wide, due to advances in communication delivery, transportation, and technology in general. These are not bad in themselves, but the snares that trap and enslave us are. We can not go back, and I’m not suggesting an Amish approach or lifestyle. What is the essence of the deception that has crept into our conscientiousness? Isn’t it our desire to have what we want now, and if not now, quicker?

The microwave oven is one of my favorite inventions of all time. It cooks or heats up almost anything in seconds. However, it quickly turns your eggs into a rubberized mess, and you can’t really bake anything in it. This is not bad, because we still have ovens and stoves. The snare is that in our haste we acquiesce to eat only that which the microwave can produce. Our diet changes, skills are abandoned, and our schedule and agenda is changed. We have more time because of the these advances, and they are multiplied over and again on many levels at home, work, leisure, and life in general throughout our days, weeks, months, and years. Enter the cell phone which has rapidly morphed into a micro computer and our work and social life changes even more than our microwavable dining habits – but at what cost?

It’s easy to blame progress, but that is not the point. In our effort to get more time we have lost something of much greater value – time spent with God. Solitude, meditation, contemplation, waiting on the Lord, these are essential for a healthy, meaningful, and vibrant relationship with God, who is Spirit. What has been stolen by the modern world is the slow and significant growth that takes place over a period of years through times of silent communion between the Holy Spirit and our Spirit. The time and means are still available, because the world only has control over its own, but believers belong to God, therefore, we can choose to surrender to the Spirit’s call and invitation to be still and know that I am God. (Ps. 37:7).

We can enter into His presence, but we must wait on Him. “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.” (Ps. 40:1). We must cultivate the humility that patience teaches and we must worship in spirit and truth, finding a place at Yeshua’s feet, listening to Him, rather than busying ourselves with the cares of this life.  “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them….The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous….May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Ps. 19: 1-3, 9, 14).