Connect or Disconnect

4   I used to have a game called Connect 4. In my early twenties I played it at a friend’s house and was so intrigued with it she bought me one.

Online you'll find this game in various sizes. It’s a two-person game and I had the small table version. The winner was the first person to rack up four tokens vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

I have no idea why I enjoyed that game so much, but I played it a lot before I gave it away in one of my many moves.

2   While reading a Psalm this week, Connect came to mind. Two players mentioned in Psalm 32:7-8 (NIV) had a connection worth thinking about.

The first player, David, declared his faith in God this way (v. 7): 1) You are my hiding place, 2) You will protect me from trouble, and 3) You will surround me with songs of deliverance.

Below these three declarations, he wrote SELAH. There is no direct translation of the word, but the Amplified Bible explains it as “pause and think calmly of that,” so I did.

The second player was God. In verse 8 David shared four things God said He would do: 1) I will instruct you, 2) I will teach you in the way you should go, 3) I will counsel you, and 4) I will watch over you.

If you don’t know much about David, read the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament. His life was never easy, but he kept a strong faith in God.

In connecting with God, David had the same problem we do---timing. God’s timing always seems slower than ours. Perhaps that’s why David declared, “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word, I put my hope” (Psalm 130: 5 NIV)

1   The Apostle Paul said God has given each person a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Some people, like David, choose to use their faith to connect with God.

Others choose to disconnect their faith from God and put their trust elsewhere.

To connect or disconnect from God is not a game, but a personal choice with consequences. If you wonder if it matters, read Acts 10:39-43 and Revelation 20:12-15.