God's Glory Church

“So I stilled and soothed my soul like a child…” – Psalm 130:2

I put my phone down, tired of the many photos, ideas and notifications the small screen was broadcasting. Then I picked it up and turned it back on. Why?

In Shallow Water, Nicholas Carr describes how the Internet has shaped our relationship with silence: “The Internet seems to destroy my ability to concentrate and contemplate. Whether I’m online or not, my brain expects information to be perceived as the Internet transmits it: in a fast-moving stream of particles. Once I was a scuba diver in a sea of words. Now I glide along the surface like a boy on a jet ski”.

Life on a mental jet ski doesn’t sound healthy. But how do we begin to slow down, to dive deeply into quiet spiritual waters?

In Psalm 130, David writes: “I calmed and soothed my soul, like a child weaned from its mother” (v. 2). David’s words remind me that I have a responsibility. Changing habits starts with my choice to be still, even if I have to make that choice over and over again. However, gradually we begin to feel God’s goodness, which satisfies us. Like little children, we rest in contentment, remembering that only God offers true hope (v. 3), a spiritual satisfaction that no smartphone app or social media can provide.

How does technology affect your ability to rest peacefully in God? Does your phone contribute to your satisfaction? Why yes or no?

Heavenly Father, the world is full of distractions that do not satisfy my soul. Help me to trust You. Fill me with real pleasure.

Author: Adam Holtz