I’ll be the first to admit that I know nothing about computers. There are buttons on my pc that I have never pushed because I’m afraid of what I might set in motion and of not being able to undo whatever it is that may happen as a result. Does that Esc key really mean escape? For all I know it could mean escalate, as in “your computer will immediately escalate toward a major crash if you push this key.” You can imagine how I felt a few years back when my office computer suddenly stopped “talking” to the printer. The computer was used for complex graphics and now we found ourselves unable to do even the most basic work. It was only after three different technicians came that my programs were able to function the way they were meant to and both machines were talking the same language again. One tech person said we didn’t need anything added and the second added something but with the wrong settings. It was only after the third person reinstalled what should have been there to begin with that we were back in business.
As I thought of the problem we had with my computer, I realized that people often experience a similar dilemma—that of not being able to speak the same language with the One to whom we all need to be connected. Maybe we’ve been told that what we’re doing is enough, nothing else is needed. Just keep trying and eventually something will click. All your problems will take care of themselves. Or perhaps someone comes along with a new way of relating to God. Try this—or that—or this other thing. The problem with this, or that, or the other thing is that they don’t work. The reasoning may sound good, but the bottom line is that they don’t address the problem people have—the inability to communicate with their Creator. Only when the truth of God’s Word is “reinstalled” in lives can people begin to speak the language of the God who made them.
Continuing to do the same thing over and over again to fix what’s wrong and knowing that it hasn’t worked in the past is just a lesson in futility. The first technician was wrong and so is the advice to just keep trying and everything will eventually work itself out. The answer is “No, it won’t.” And what about the second technician? He had very good reasons for wanting to add new software and assured us that once we had a new system, all our problems would be gone. That wasn’t the answer either. In fact, we first had to remove all that he added before the technician with the right diagnosis could do his job and provide the solution we needed.
And the right solution? Making sure that what should have been there to begin with was working and doing what it was designed to do. Sin has caused our “computers” to crash—we’re no longer able to talk to God; our cables are disconnected. Jesus reminds us that no one comes to God except through Him. He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:3). God designed us to have fellowship and communion with Him. Trying to fix things ourselves or looking for answers outside of the truth of God’s Word isn’t going to reestablish the connection. Only Jesus can do that. And only then will we be able to communicate with the God who loves us and provided His son for our salvation. Then we will finally be working the way we were intended to function—as men and women of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
