St Johns with St Barnabas

I do hope we haven’t used up all the summer sunshine in May. It’s been glorious, Rosie has been away most of this month, so Mopsy dog has decided I need to be up at 5.15am so she can go and sit in the garden and listen to the birds. I am getting used to it now but am rather looking forward to Rosie’s return - Mopsy tends to wake Rosie rather than me !!

 

Whilst Rosie has been away I have been using her car, rather more upmarket than mine, in fact it’s rather clever in that it started talking to me. Or rather it thinks I am talking to it. This is a little awkward because I often talk to myself when driving, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to pray. Now quite unexpectedly and randomly, the car chips in; “sorry I didn’t quite get that, can you repeat.”

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At first it was rather irritating, but then I started to see the funny side – me being interrupted by a car thinking I am giving it instructions. But even that has a spiritual sort of echo to it. How often do we feel we are talking into silence, only to be reminded that someone is listening? Not the car, but God.

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We may not get a robotic voice answering, but the presence is real, even if it is rather quiet. Perhaps it’s good to be reminded that our words don’t vanish into the air. Whether we are voicing thanks for the sunshine, worries about the week ahead, or prayers for someone in need, God hears us - even in the traffic.

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So now I smile when the car speaks up. It’s a nudge to keep talking – keep praying. Even a machine’s mistaken response has become a reminder of the One who never misunderstands, never mishears, and always knows our hearts.

Here’s to the sunshine still to come, and to the quiet conversations wherever we are, that keep us connected to the One who always journeys with us.

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A prayer

Father God, thank you for the sunshine and the unexpected moments that make us smile. In the noise of our days and the quiet of our thoughts, help us to remember You are always listening. Teach us to pray with openness, to speak with trust, and to hear your voice even in surprising ways. Travel with us this June, wherever the road leads. Amen