Automated Calls

The majority of the calls we've been receiving lately have been automated. The phone rings, we pick up, we hear a brief pause, and then the message starts. Most of them have been from the schools our children attend, reminding us of an upcoming meeting or a vacation schedule. Some of the calls have been confirmations for upcoming dental appointments. Pretty soon we'll get calls from political candidates as the primaries draw near.

I'm still undecided if I like these automated calls. The pros are that I don't actually have to talk to anyone, I just have to listen. The cons are that I have to keep answering the phone when a real person isn't on the line.

Then there are those calls where a live person starts talking, telling you to hold on so you can hear a recorded message, and then to hold on afterward so he or she can get your response. I often hang up for those because I don't have time to listen to some messages, and I know they're going to ask me for money.

I wonder if our prayers sometimes seem like automated calls to God. Repetitive prayers are often rote responses. Yes, some prayers, especially the Psalms are beautiful and have wonderful meanings; and yes, there are times when I've prayed the Psalms as my own prayers because those words say what's in my heart. But if all we do is say the same thing over and over to God, without any true praise and thanksgiving and petitions thrown in, then we might as well record a message and use that for our prayers.

True prayer needs to be a personal call to God our Savior. It needs to be from the heart. He is interested in what we have to say. He wants true fellowship; and that comes when we honestly seek Him and earnestly call out to Him.

Are your prayers becoming too automated lately? Show God you really love Him by giving Him some real prayers from the heart.