We Now Interrupt This Moment of Meditation and Reflection with a Word from Our Sponsors

Has anyone noticed the amount of time between commercials in anything is ridiculously short? I know that people need to get paid, and that advertising for someone is how they do it, but sheesh! It feels like I get a minute of content from a creator and then 45 seconds of commercial! And on Television, what used to be a 15-minute segment is between 7 and 10 minutes or even less sometimes! It got me wondering: is this on purpose?

Genuinely, I think it is. There are now generations of people who live by TL;DR (if you don’t know, that means “too long; didn’t read”); we can’t stop looking at our phones, we have a consistently shorter and shorter attention span, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s not by design. We live in an age where people are abandoning the written word, and can’t sit longer than 10-15 minutes for a sermon without looking at their watches (but we will sit hours for a football game, go figure). We want instant gratification and entertainment in any and everything, and we’re seeking it in all avenues of life. It makes me wonder: have we bought in to a worldly mentality, even within the Church?

Loved ones, we ought to unplug from our tech (yes, even our phones), and plug in to God’s word, one another, and the world God has given us. How much better off are we without distraction and advertising for things we don’t want or need anyway? Jesus would often go to a solitary place to pray and reflect, so why don’t we? Can we unplug for just a few days so that we can get right with the Lord, seeking His power and peace? Pursue Christ and His righteousness. Watch how everything else, including our problems, and the things we think we may need, seem trivial when you’ve had some quality time with the Lord.

Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God,

    and the sky above^[a] proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours out speech,

    and night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words,

    whose voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out through all the earth,

    and their words to the end of the world.

In them he has set a tent for the sun,

     which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,

    and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.

Its rising is from the end of the heavens,

    and its circuit to the end of them,

    and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect,

    reviving the soul;

the testimony of the Lord is sure,

    making wise the simple;

the precepts of the Lord are right,

    rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is pure,

    enlightening the eyes;

the fear of the Lord is clean,

    enduring forever;

the rules of the Lord are true,

    and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

    even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey

    and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

    in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can discern his errors?

    Declare me innocent from hidden faults.

Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;

    let them not have dominion over me!

Then I shall be blameless,

    and innocent of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

    be acceptable in your sight,

    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 63

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

    my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

    as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

    beholding your power and glory.

Because your steadfast love is better than life,

    my lips will praise you.

So I will bless you as long as I live;    in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,

    and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

when I remember you upon my bed,

    and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

for you have been my help,

    and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

My soul clings to you;

    your right hand upholds me.

But those who seek to destroy my life

    shall go down into the depths of the earth;

they shall be given over to the power of the sword;

    they shall be a portion for jackals.

But the king shall rejoice in God;

    all who swear by him shall exult,

    for the mouths of liars will be stopped.