Prayer... the connection to the "operator"

“...operator?”

Remember in the Matrix, those in the system receive help by calling the operator? By doing so, they open themselves up to receive all sorts of things and information — they can download helicopter flight training, they can get weapons, or most importantly, find an exit during a heated chase.

But none of that is available unless they call. The call is what’s important.

More important than just contacting a human operator is us connecting with an all-powerful divine operator — God the Father. Prayer is often the method of communication we (meaning Christians and nonbelievers alike) neglect, although in reality, it is really the only hope we have of getting help.

A loose translation of Christ’s earthly brother, James’ words in James 4:2 is, “You aren’t getting help because you’re not asking for it!” Well, I’m here to tell you that in this true Matrix in which we live, prayer works.

The Brookings situation (see the “Listening for the Voice” entry) was difficult. Here I had what looked like a great job offer, and yet something didn’t click. I prayed hard and fervently that the Lord would show me whether or not this was His will. After two arduous trips south, I still wasn’t convinced... but I wanted to make sure it was God making me uncomfortable on purpose, not me just being selfish.

On the way home during the second trip, I prayed, “Lord, I’m seriously a fool. I need your help to know whether or not this is what you want me to do. Everything’s sort of in place, but if you don’t want this to happen, please!, either make it not work out, or bring something up in its place.”

There aren’t many times in my life where I can claim God spoke to me... but seriously moments after that prayer I felt the need to call the Gresham Outlook, twice-weekly newspaper owned by Community Newspapers — a chain of small nondailies.

I had emailed the Outlook’s publisher several weeks prior (maybe a couple months prior), with a cold inquiry about any possible jobs opening up in the near future. No response. But here I was, driving somewhere between Gold Beach and Port Orford, and I felt the need to cold call this guy, again.

“Actually,” the publisher said to me, “the editor of our Sandy paper just put in his notice.” That was all the sign from God I needed. I turned down the job, full of faith that the Lord was providing something else, even if this Sandy proposition didn’t work out. That was the sign I needed.

Miraculously in itself, I got the job — a less-than-one-year rookie will now become the youngest editor in that paper’s history. And it’s amazing, I see God’s hand through it 100 percent.

I learned that prayer really works when your heart’s into it. If you get real before God and tell him what you need (not like a Ferrari, more like HIS DIRECTION), He’s not going to let you down. Dial the operator... if you don’t, how are you supposed to get any kind of help? ::MH::