“Every good and perfect gift is from above.”

                                                                                                James 1:17

There is a man in Germany named Simon Weckert and he decided to run a test. He borrowed 99 smartphones and put them all in a child’s wagon. Then he pulled the wagon down a road, walking very slowly.

What was the purpose of this little test? He wanted to see if he could fool the Google Maps application. And he could!  As he was walking down the road, it did not take long before the app shaded the roadway a deep red, indicating there was a gridlock on the road and rerouting everyone another way.

He said the experiment was designed to illustrate the pervasive effects of technology on our culture. He wanted to highlight what happens when we blindly use and trust application technology in our everyday lives. He wanted to prove how those applications shape our everyday life and society, and how that’s not always best because, like every manmade thing, they are prone to error and limits no matter how intelligent the technology is.

On his website, Weckert said that apps like Google Maps have “fundamentally changed our understanding of what a map is, how we interact with maps, their technological limitations and how they make virtual changes to reality.”

Google spokesperson Ivy Hunt issued a thankful response to Weckert. She said, “We appreciate seeing creative uses of Google Maps like this as it helps us make maps work better over time.”

All this got me to thinking. How many times in the course of history have we allowed the bells and whistles and glamour of new and shiny things we invent seduce us by their promises, only to end up being deceived and let down by their limitations?

We must always remember that God is the giver of every good and perfect gift and as such we need to trust wholly in His leading. God has no limitations and He will never let us down or deceive us. Trust in His promise of salvation and know that He alone is God.

“Father, Thank You for Your promises which are always trust and just.  Keep us always in Your mercy and care. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Grace,

Rev. Dan