We know that a lot of wonderful things have come through the invention of the internet.  However, we all know that a lot of harm has also come through the internet.  I loved what John shares in his new book.  The following are excepts from John Eldredge’s new book, “Experiencing Jesus. Really.” John brings up an important topic.  He talks about our ability to believe, and to trust, has been eroded by the endless hours we scroll on the internet.  Because of the culture that we live in, our ability to trust is becoming more difficult.  It also has not served us well to live in the realm of everything being at our fingertips.  John says, “In ancient days waiting was considered formational for the soul.  Our souls have now been programmed for immediate responses and instant carts.  The notion of lingering before God doesn’t fit with the pace we’ve come to expect.

So much information is available to us, on every conceivable subject, that we haven’t noticed what it’s done to us.  It offers refuge, then takes it away the very next moment.  Life with the internet has severely eroded our confidence that we can even know what’s true while accelerating the drive to get to the truth.  We are convinced that in order to thrive, we must find the right information.  But that information keeps changing.  This whiplash has made skeptics of us all.

Our capacity to believe has been affected by constant contradictions and exposures to deceit.  We lose confidence in our capacity to trust; our faculty of faith collapses into suspicion.   This has also bled into our ability to commune with God.  It was inevitable that years of Internet life would shape our souls whether we wanted it to or not.  As a friend said, “It’s not that we’ve done something wrong; something wrong has been done to us.”

Our Christian walk is meant to be experiential.  It goes so much further than just gathering information.  There is a mystery to our faith that is good for us.  The scriptures tell us that we are to live by faith and that we are to come to Him like a little child. (Matthew 18:3) Children don’t operate from a posture of weary skepticism, cynicism, and “I’ll believe it when you show me the science.”  Jesus says, “I have so much to show you, so much to offer you.  But you’re going to have to let go of the skepticism.  Open yourself up to belief again.  Simply trust, like a child does.”   Many times, we cling to skepticism for self-protection. ( But if you knew how much you are loved by our Heavenly Father, there would be no room for skepticism.  If you are not a believer, ask God to open your eyes to how much He loves you.)

This sweet, healing communion is something the people of God, from every tradition, have written about down through the centuries.  It’s all quite natural, really; and wonderful.  If you look through the Scriptures, it is impossible to miss the invitation – we are ALL meant to EXPERIENCE God and the beauty of his Kingdom in deep and profound ways.  Fulfillment comes when we learn to tune in to the unseen realm and give our attention to HIS presence, drinking deeply from it.

There is a way home.  The Kingdom of God hasn’t lessened one bit, even though mankind has dismissed it.  There is profound refuge and healing to be found in Jesus and in his Kingdom; it surrounds us all the time.    Slow down and linger in His Word.  Ask Him to speak to you and listen.  Ask Him to open your eyes to what He is doing behind the scenes.  You will be amazed!