"[L]ook at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs" (James 3:4).
I have recently purchased a Palm Pilot(r). A dear friend of mine (my future son-in-law) persuaded me.
Think about it: computer technologies – from handhelds to desktops – have thoroughly invaded our lives. My computer is my thesaurus; it will suggest alternative words ("utterances," "declarations," "assertions") whenever I ask it. My computer serves as my faithfull dictionary (it tells me, every time, to drop the second "l"). My computer manages my date book; without it, I can hardly be sure whether I am here or there, coming or going. I carry my contacts on my computer. Everyone who is anyone (with their telephone and email address) is found in a database on my computer. And I do Bible studies on my computer. I have a dozen or so translations: from Romanian to Swahili, and Greek to English. Multiple dictionaries and multi-volume commentaries are but a click away.
And now I can carry these things in the palm of my hand. The little machine, I am told, will soon become my "pilot." But I am not sure that I am ready to cede the responsibility.
There are some things that all the handhelds and laptops and desktops in the world cannot easily accomplish. They can display a red warning when I have double-scheduled an afternoon. But they cannot weigh the relative value of competing priorities. They can flash a reminder at user-specified intervals before an activity. But they cannot initiate or follow-up. They cannot add a kind word, or enact a bit of love. They cannot demonstrate a caring or a humble attitude. They cannot pray a prayer. They cannot offer a spontaneous word of grace.
Getting used to my Palm Pilot(r) has reminded me of an old quotation from Hudson Taylor, that impressed me years ago and seems very appropriate still.
"Do not sing ‘Waft, waft, ye winds the story.’ The winds will not waft it. Some of you must go and tell it!"
Taylor referred to an old missionary hymn, that encouraged "the winds" to "waft" (look it up in your computer dictionary) the Good News around the world. His point is simple. Singing the old hymn is not yet enough. The evangelization of the world will require more than singing.
My Palm Pilot(r) could be taught to sing that old hymn, I think. But it cannot go. Another Pilot controls that agenda. That part is up to you.
"The Way I See It", August 2003
© Copyright 2003 (World Mission Prayer League). All rights reserved.