Failure to CONNECT

Failure to connect is a principle that applies to many problems. These glitches may be mechanical, such as an engine not starting. Physical, when a person cannot throw a baseball from third base to first base. Social disconnects abound among people, often between family members. The saddest failure to connect is spiritual, being without a path of conversation with God. Often, the failure to connect results from disrespect or lack of acknowledgment.

My father was an ace troubleshooter in the fields of electricity and mechanics. He could find the problem and fix it. Many times, the repair to restore function was expedient, and waiting for store-bought parts was unacceptable. He was a wizard with baling wire, epoxy, and tape. He was born on a tenant farm in 1929, grew up during the Depression, was a teenager during World War II, and was a young USAF communications technician in 1950 in the Philippines, then in Korea. He had to make do with not much. Dad was part artist, part performer, and he was connected.

During summers between college terms, I worked in the same factory where he was a master electrician. I was always thrilled to hear his name called on the loudspeaker to come and fix a machine. I worked in a different department, but more than once Dad came to my section to fix some critical piece of equipment to get production going again. One time, a 100-ton overhead crane that filled the aluminum smelter with raw ore had been down for two days. I heard them call his name and saw the big giant machine at work in less than an hour; I know it took 25 minutes for Dad to get there. His favorite electrical tool was a ballpoint pen with an abrasive rubber eraser on one end. Later at home, I cornered him and asked how he fixed the crane so quickly. He told me he looked at the machine, sweeping it with his eyes, and prayed for Jesus to show him. His eyes would lock onto a point or general area, and he would take a closer look. He saw a connection that was dirty/corroded, got the pen out, raked the rubber eraser across the dirt and varnish, and that was it. In truth, he had made a connection in more than one place.

The Dis- Connect

Dirt will ruin a connection; the thing is… one has to identify the place where junk has piled up. A bit of cleaning will get things running again; however, preventative maintenance will prevent the bad connection. Mechanically and Spiritually.

Freshman year of high school, I went out for the baseball team. I tried to keep up with the hero seniors throwing the ball from the outfield to home plate. I threw out my arm and probably caused some nerve damage. I didn’t tell anyone, and I couldn’t throw the ball with any accuracy, which led to my being cut from the team. The nerve and muscle function lost connection, and there was not much I could do about it. Even today, 60 years later, I do not have perfect strength and function in my right shoulder. Rehab probably would have helped, but I failed to connect. I did not know how to seek help, and all I had to do was ask. Pride probably had some effect here also. How many times does pride and ignorance keep us from asking Jesus?

The Bible is full of social disconnects. Cain and Abel are an example of brothers who became so disconnected that one killed the other. The dirty connection probably had to do with their parents showing favoritism and a failure to instill respect for life. In a way, the issue was inherited; the father did not pay attention to God’s instruction in the garden and lost a divine connection based on shame and pride. Jacob and Esau had their issues. Esau wanted to kill Jacob; however, Jacob had a connection with God and was guided in protection. Think about that: guided in protection. Moses guided a whole nation in protection through a connection with the Most High. It’s a shame the nation was not connected. The dirt of slavery had robbed them of hope in their Lord, and they just resisted ad nauseam. The connection on the national level is still limited and look at the social disconnects that beset them. Their Messiah came, and they missed the connection.

“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:3 (NIV)

Abram, later known as Abraham, had a relationship with God. One could say he was connected. Genesis 12:3 is part of God’s promise to Abram if only Abram would acknowledge and follow the leading of Elohim (Hebrew for Mighty One). The promise is valid not only for Abram but also for his descendants. The Bible is a great place to get connected; it is the supreme connect-the-dots gameboard, and it is sanctioned by divinity.

In the Bible narrative, those who trouble the children of Abraham get into all sorts of trouble; those who bless those children have good fortune and are blessed. The Nation of Israel is under this promise even today because they are descendants of Abraham. Jesus is a child of Israel; therefore, under the Biblical promise. Those who live for Christ and die to themselves are alive in Christ, so the promise is good for the living remnant. How about connecting those dots?

The promise is valid on different levels. The personal level would focus on an individual. A family level would include blood and adopted kindred. The corporate level covers units of government that could be social organizations, schools, churches, local political bodies, and nations. The sticky thing is… innocent members of a corporate group can suffer consequences from the behavior or actions of the group at large.

Now back to Israel. They are not always 100% right; however, they hold the promise of God’s Blessing, and that promise to Abram is tied to the land identified in the context of the book of Genesis. Israel acknowledges El Elyon, “Most High God,” by occupying the land. People, as individuals, acknowledge God by supporting the existence of the Nation Israel. Nations also acknowledge El Elyon by recognizing the State of Israel. Connect those dots and all the implications, if you will.

The most dangerous mistake that can be made is a failure to acknowledge God or dismiss Him. Adam and Eve did it when they ate the apple in the Garden of Eden. Adam did it again by telling God it was God’s fault for giving him Eve. Cain killed his brother Abel and denied responsibility when God confronted him. This was a failure to acknowledge God, an action that not only tarnished the connection but also cut the wire. Time went on, generations passed, new nations rose and fell, and sin abounded. God, in His great mercy, had in His heart a reset, or restart from the beginning. Really consider that last statement. God did not invent the process of the Lamb; He did not invent Calvary; those things were part of His heart from eternity past, even as the love He has for creation and people.

It is a difficult thing to embrace the Most High God in all of His Majesty. It is simple to acknowledge Him; just ask Jesus for a conversation. Respect the outcome. That is the first step in being connected with God. Elohim spoke to Abram; as a result of another promise, the cross, Jesus is much more approachable for you.

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Mid-Night PRAYER

To our God in Heaven, the eternal Father, the immortal Son and the invisible Holy Spirit, be there Glory, Power and Praise forever.

At Your pleasure, this prayer was formed as You woke me from sleep. May the family of God, even all the citizens of His Kingdom, be also awake at this hour and hear in their hearts Your desire for us. Let Your breath blow upon us and revive the new life You have given.

Let us lay down our personal motivations and bow to Your will based in the Spirit of the Godhead. Let us seek justice that is plain and simple in Your eyes.

Let us put the nation and the nations upon the altar above politics, personal abilities, and predetermined righteousness.

You are God; we are Yours.

Let this prayer seed our spirits so that we might follow Jesus, the Captain of the Hosts. Let us flow in His mind and His purpose with one mind and one purpose as we calmly walk these days which have an expected outcome. Shoulder to shoulder with brothers and sisters unto God’s Glory. Not distracted to the left or to the right but rather upon the next footstep.

Now then, as we leave this spoken prayer, may it never leave us, published upon our hearts. May Your pleasure ever be part of our existence and may it be contagious to those who know of You and about You ... but do not know You.

May the righteous and pure of heart who are outside the camp seek and find an open gate with outstretched arms of welcome. May Your Glory be seen even by those who do not believe.

Great are You, Lord God. Forever until the end of time, a time that never ends.

You are Exalted, Amen.

Feature Image: Open view from desk GENAI Text to Image; Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.