Lydia didn’t realize I’d answered the phone at the same time she had. “Hello,” came the automated voice. “This is Laura (ooh, nice. Now automated voices have names?) from United Health Care. I have a few important questions for Marcia. Is this Marcia?” Lydia hesitated on the other end and finally softly answered, “No.” “What was that?” asked the intelligent robot. “Please answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.” I could hear Lydia’s eyes widen through the telephone lines as she repeated “No.” “Okay. I don’t mind waiting,” the recording continued. “If Marcia is there, please ask me to ‘wait’. If she’s not there, say ‘call back later’. If she doesn’t live there at all, please say ‘wrong number’. What would you like me to do?” A muffled giggle, then Lydia answered. “Wait.” “Okay,” “Laura” responded promptly. “I’ll be happy to wait one minute.” Then the echoing sounds of Lydia relaying the message. “Mom, it’s the smartest recording ever on the phone for you. Her name is Laura.”
I’m so proud of my men folk. With a little adjusting here, and manipulating there, they had our well pump working like new. Well, not like new, but at least back up and limping along. I could finally do loads of laundry, run the dishwasher, clean my bathroom and wash my hair. They are tho thmart.
After supper Bible reading. Lydia’s spelling seems a little hooked on the letter “q”. “Why does Mo keep making the excques that he was not squilled in speech” but nothing was quite as insightful as her simple statement, “Pharaoh was bad.” Of course, so is John Piper.
Still feeling like I’d somehow missed the point of Judges, I skimmed back over the book today, begging that the Lord would somehow personalize it to me. I’m always amazed at the way Yahweh’s word comes together with life issues. Even Judges. As Tabitha and I prayed over the phone, life applications began spilling out. Things that hadn’t really occurred to me until that moment when the Holy Spirit brought them back to mind, convicting and convincing and teaching me to pray. Convicted by the Israelites unfaithfulness, as time and again they turned from Yahweh to serve idols, we begged the Lord to give us both strength to tear down the idols in our own lives and serve Yahweh, as we’ve promised to do.
Lord, even on Thy very altar
I see my flesh and heart both falter
Turning from Thy holy presence
To erect an idol.
Give me strength to tear whatever
Might my heart, from worship, sever
And return me to Thy presence
Freed from every idol.
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