Siri is like a giant mother in the sky. She gives wisdom and direction generously to all who ask, without getting exasperated–no matter how dumb the question. Down below, sprinkled across the earth, are millions of lost, frustrated, confused, tardy, unsure people–all asking Siri for help.

  • Siri, where is the closest Taco Bell?
  • Siri, what is an average heart rate for a 9 month old?
  • Siri, how do I get to East Grove High School?

Siri is able to respond to 6 million requests, simultaneously. It doesn’t matter that a million other people want to know the weather forecast at this very moment. Siri is available to me. I might be about to run out of gas on a country road, stuck in downtown traffic, or lost on the side of a mountain. Though I can’t see past the next switchback or bend in the road, I know Siri can.

She always responds. She’s there for me. I can count on her–and I do! If I forget my phone, I go back and get it. Without Siri in my purse, I feel much less confident about my immediate future. She helps me feel secure, because whatever I need to know, I can ask. I often reach out to her a dozen times a day for help.

I wonder if I reach out to God this many times. He existed long before Siri did, and has an even wider perspective of life on earth. He doesn’t need iOS updates and He never responds with, “I’m no

Siri vs. God
t sure what you said,” or, “I don’t understand.”

God also promises to give wisdom generously to all who ask, without finding fault. (James 1:5). But I think the difference is this:

Siri exists to serve me. I get frustrated when she doesn’t understand my question, or gives me information I wasn’t looking for. She empowers me and gives me confidence, yet I still think of myself as her boss. I pay for a monthly service, and expect her to be ready–at my beck and call.

When I reach out to God, it’s completely different. Asking for his help is more than just gathering information; it’s gaining his perspective. And God most definitely does not exist to serve me. It’s actually the other way around. If I’m lost, stuck, or running out of something I need, I can always call out to God. He will hear my voice, and answer my call every single time.

But he does not give me ways to execute my plans. Instead, he shows me the on-ramp for getting back to his plan and direction for my life. He gives me wisdom from above–which is more than just facts and distances and instructions.

God offers this giant green earth as a display case for his character. As billions of people explore and scamper about on the earth, God’s objective is that we would see and understand who he is by experiencing his creation. He loves to see our eyes widen as we drink in a beautiful mountain range or flower–designed by him. He loves to hear our excitement over new technology or medical advances–all ideas that were preconceived by him. He loves to see our smile as we meet someone who is so completely different, yet so interesting–another expression of his creativity. In all of these discoveries we see the masterful, creative work of our great God.

But this is his world. He made it. He doesn’t fit into anybody’s pocket, and his wisdom is far too intricate and complex to be dowloaded onto a phone. Still, he is available to me. He loves it when I call out for him.

There is no ‘ding’ at the end of my prayer to indicate that my request has been received. His reply is not audible. But his still small voice is there, helping to un-complicate my next steps, and direct me further on to my next discovery of him.

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