Are you out there? God’s calling!
“Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there, if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.” - Psalm 139: 7 - 8
Each year, my husband and I take a winter trip north to spend a weekend in Petoskey, Michigan, usually in February to celebrate our anniversary. After sharing photos from one of these trips, a friend joked that we traveled the wrong direction—that people are supposed to head south in the winter, not north! While that may be true for many Midwesterners, we love the quiet, unhurried pace of northern Michigan in the colder months.
Our visits always include a stop at our favorite coffee shop, dinner downtown, and a cozy stay at a bed and breakfast overlooking the bay. Most days, the snow and wind blur the horizon, wrapping the world in soft stillness. Snowflakes drift gently to the ground, and the familiar crunch beneath our boots mark each step as we wander the quiet sidewalks of town.
This year, we chose the scenic route north, trading the rush of the expressway for winding country roads blanketed in snow. The landscape was hushed and still, with only a handful of travelers sharing the quiet beauty of the journey. At one point we found ourselves in an unfamiliar location and unsure of the next turn. Attempting to find our location on GPS proved to be impossible. We had lost phone reception and as we continued down the road and it was not getting any better. We simply were not able to connect to a tower in order to get directions. We kept looking at the phone to see if we ‘had any bars’, however, it was futile!
How many times in our walk with God do we lose reception? Or rather, how many times is God trying to connect with us and we are not receiving the message? What happens? Well, I’m convinced that we are the problem. We have simply stopped listening or become complacent in our relationship with God. And yet, there are times when we wonder where God is, why He isn’t answering our prayers. Could it be that we have stopped listening, obeying, or even spending time with him?
When we feel the loss of reception, we would do well to check the bars. Are we so deep in the woods of our own lives, thoughts, and ways, that we aren’t able to connect?
King Saul had connectivity issues with God. At one point, he refused to listen to God. In 1 Samuel 13:13 we read, “because Saul refuses to listen to God, Samuel says he has forfeited the hope of an eternal dynasty in Israel. His son Jonathan will not sit on the throne after him, but instead it will be someone who is “after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14)
So how do we keep our connectivity with God strong? How do we ensure that we have ‘all of the bars’? As King David shared in our key verse above, there is no place we can go that God is not with us.
First and foremost, through scripture. When we open the Bible, we don’t just read about Him — we hear from Him. Each verse reveals His heart, His promises, and His guidance for our lives. As we spend time reading and reflecting, the Holy Spirit brings understanding, conviction, and comfort. Scripture becomes the foundation of our conversation with God — it teaches us what His voice sounds like and reminds us of His faithfulness. As the psalmist tells us in Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Second, we stay connected with God when we pray to Him. If Scripture is God speaking to us, prayer is our response. It’s the sacred space where we express gratitude, share our fears, and invite Him into every part of our lives. Prayer isn’t about perfect words — it’s about honest conversation. It’s simply having a conversation with Him! As we pray regularly, our trust deepens, our perspective shifts, and we learn to rest in His presence.
In a famous interview with Dan Rather, Mother Teresa was asked what she says when she prays, to which she replied, "I don't say anything, I listen". Dan Rather then asked what God says to her and she responded, "He doesn't say anything. He listens". Mr. Rather gave a confused look and she added that if he didn't understand, she couldn't explain it any better.
The psalmist simply said it this way in Psalm 145:18, “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.”
So I have to ask, how is your connectivity? Are you using ‘all of the bars’?
