Apple recently became the world’s first trillion-dollar company. Apple is a company which has designed products that have completely altered our world. There is the real world and there is the virtual world and the two worlds have increasingly become one. For instance, now at the click of a smart phone, you can order full-course meals sent to your house rather than taking a visit to the local grocery store to buy an assortment of items you will have to cook. We used to hear the phrase, “what is the world coming to?” I think we have a better clue.
Not all the change has been good. I recently had a dream where God’s hand was in a wrestling match with man’s hand to let go of his phone. It’s as if man will give God anything, but not his phone. When this happens, which would you say has become god to man? Some people don’t think God ever gets jealous or angry, but they obviously have not read the numerous scriptures that speak to God’s jealousy or the account of Jesus flipping over the tables in the temple and driving out the money changers with a whip (Matthew 21:12–17). God got in a wrestling match with Jacob and Jacob walked away with a dislocated hip (Genesis 32:22–32).
The iPhone hasn’t caught God off guard. It’s not like God didn’t see it coming. I don’t believe God is anti-phone either. But, all things must be put in their proper place. In the creation account, Adam sins by taking a bite out of the forbidden fruit. Now, many in our modern world immediately show this fruit to be an apple, however scripture does not specify. But, I do think it would be fair to say today that people are taking a byte out of Apple. Craig Detwiler quotes Craig Watkins by saying thanks to the iPhone, “we have evolved from a culture of instant gratification to one of constant gratification” and then expands,
“The iPhone is always on, always wired, always with us. It wakes us up, putting a song in our hearts. It delivers text messages and email from friends and family throughout the day. It accompanies us when we travel, offering directions and restaurant recommendations. It can almost feed us—or at least get food delivered to our door. We check in with it at night before we close our eyes. The iPhone orders our lives in comparable ways to praying the hours in ancient church. There is the constant temptation to relate to the iPhone rather than our world. It is a convenient filter for screening calls, keeping colleagues at a manageable distance. It provides a safe place to hide when we’re anxious in a crowd. We avoid awkward moments by fading into our phone. It prompts us to look down rather than up, to ask Siri for answers rather than our friends, our parents, or our God. The iPhone is our most valuable possession and our closest companion. It records our lives, broadcasts our photos and thoughts, and serves as our traveling studio and electronic megaphone. It lives up to its hype (iGods, p. 65).”
Rather than praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), are we on our phones without ceasing? If God asked you to unplug for a day, could you do it? I think God does ask us to unplug quite often, but I wonder if we hear him through all the notification alerts, bells, and whistles coming from our phone? Maybe God is calling you at times to enjoy life, walk outdoors, or visit loved ones without a phone in hand. Is it possible? In a world where the two worlds have become one, maybe not. But if you can still hear God’s voice, see God active in nature, and experience a world outside of your phone, it is! Many studies have been done and research has concluded that those who drop their phone for a day or two feel revitalized and refreshed. Though there is relief in unplugging for a day, I think the real difference comes with those who plug into God during that same time span. We used to call this Sabbath or a Sabbath day of rest.
Give Steve Jobs his due credit. He created a phone and a computer that have become a religion unto themselves. Just be careful not to worship the creation over the Creator or you may be feeling a bit of tension. God disciplines those he loves (Hebrews 12:6). I’m just trying to spare you the trouble of having to walk away with a limp.