Technology has been a struggle for me since I got out of prison. When I was locked up in 1989, computers and cell phones weren’t a thing, so it was a shock to my system to walk out into a world where payphones are an extinct species.
During one of my first outings as a free man, I encountered the cell-phone phenomenon. Every person I met seemed to be tethered to one. As I stood in line to get my ID, I noticed how people weren’t talking to each other or paying attention to those around them. Instead, almost every person had their face buried in their phone. I learned that people don’t connect and relate to each other the way they did back in the old days. It was a little discouraging.
“Roy, you’re going to need a cell phone,” a helpful friend insisted. “It’s how everyone communicates these days. Let’s go get you one.” He was right, but I was not interested or excited. It was unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
I’m still not sure what to think of the gadget. Little glitches can be annoying, like when I’m trying to text someone and Autocorrect “helps” me. It will suggest a word that sounds like the one I’m trying to use, but it’s not usually the right one. Pressing Send before making sure my message is clear can prove disastrous. Dropped calls are also a nuisance. There have been times when I was in the middle of a conversation and suddenly the line went dead.
The learning curve with all this new technology has made me grateful to have a direct line of communication with the Creator of the universe. Prayer is mentioned a multitude of times throughout the Bible. Why do you think God talks about it so much? Because He wants us to know how important it is that we have an intimate relationship with Him.
When Jesus walked the earth, prayer was essential in His life. It was His way of staying connected to His Father and focusing on His purpose for being here. He taught His disciples to make it a priority.
Before becoming a Christian, I didn’t think about talking to God. He was the last thing on my mind. But harsh circumstances during my 31-year stay in the Florida Department of Corrections taught me that prayer is perhaps the most critical discipline in a believer’s walk with the Lord. I needed prayer the same way Jesus did. Life was dark and lonely behind those walls, but when I prayed, I felt closer to God.
My prayer time became as important to me as eating, sleeping, walking, and talking. God was never too busy or distracted to spend time with me during all those years, and He is still my closest companion today.
Are you in a dark place and need a reliable friend? Let me encourage you to reach out to God through prayer. Communication through prayer isn’t like cell-phone technology—you will never run out of data, have a failed connection, or experience a dropped call. You will never be an inconvenience to Him either.
God promises to answer when you seek Him (Psalm 34:4–5). You can take all your troubles to Him (Psalm 55:22). He never gets tired of you, and He is always listening (Psalm 116:2–4).
Friend, God knows you better than anyone else does. He cares about every detail of your life, and He will meet you in your prayer time. He loves you, and He wants to hear from you!
Call on Him today (Jeremiah 33:3).
Roy A. Borges served 31 years in the Florida Department of Corrections, where he realized his need for a Savior. While incarcerated, Roy ministered to others through his writings, over 300 of which have been published. He now lives in Tampa, Florida, and is a member of the Victorious Living writing team.
