Dating to 200 B.C., the first known method of long-distance communication was the smoke signal. It was used by China to deliver messages along the great wall. Its only competition was the carrier pigeon used by Egypt, which continued for well over a millennium. It wasn’t until 1635 that Charles I instituted the Royal Mail, and just two hundred years later the telegraph was invented. The pace of progression continued to increase dramatically. In the 1950s telephones were in common use and the first email was sent in the 70s. By 1985 mobile phones were becoming more popular and the first text was sent in 1992 that read, “Merry Christmas.” (I doubt it included a Christmas tree emoji.)
Since the advent of the internet in 1994 there’s VoIP, satellite phones and broadband telecoms. Skype’s video chat feature showed up in 2005 and the first iPhone was released in 2007. Introduce a worldwide pandemic and video chats became a part of daily life.
The advancement of long-distance communication has not only changed our world, but our perception of it. The only thing needed for an Alaskan to contact an Australian is the use of a thumb and a Wi-Fi connection. Undoubtedly this leads to the sense that we live in a much “smaller world” than our smoke signaling predecessors. That said, state-of-the-art microphones, high-definition video and even remote hugging technology cannot replace the intimacy of face-to-face contact. There is something unique to being physically in the presence of a person that you love. This is equally true of our relationship to God.
Currently you have unrestricted access to the throne of God in prayer. He is listening and responding to the prayers of the saints at all hours and in all places of the world. What’s more, you have an advocate with the Father in Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit intercedes for you with groanings too deep for words. These are blessings beyond measure!
As extraordinary as that is, God has promised something even greater than the form of communication that takes place between you and Him now. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” God is spirit and not a man, yet He uses human imagery to assure you of a future in His presence in a special way. He compares it to the experience people that love each other have when they are face to face. With technology there is always some kind of distortion. There are always limitations to your view of the other. One day you will experience the fullness of the presence of God with no distortion.
It’s difficult to suppress tears when you see a soldier reunited with his family after a lengthy deployment. In today’s day and age it’s almost certain that the soldier was able to write home, to call or even text, but that does not replace the intimacy that’s felt in a face-to-face encounter. The same child that has regular, long-distance video chats with her father will sprint into his arms when he kneels to embrace her in person.
In His high priestly prayer, Jesus acknowledges that difference and communicates how He is longing for the firsthand intimacy that awaits His reunion with you. Here is what He said.
Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. (Jn. 17:24)
The Son was sent into this world and He has sent you. He had a mission and He has given you one. You are the soldier that has been deployed into a fallen world. Your assignment is to communicate to this foreign land that Jesus was sent here and that He loves His bride, the church. Take care not to get so augured into your daily responsibilities that you forget that this is temporary housing in a distant land. The day is coming when you will be participating in the glory of the Son in the presence of the Father through the power of the Spirit. That is the hope of the believer—a future where you see Him as He is.
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. (1 Jn. 3:2)