Word for the Church: Phone Notification Dream

Last night, I dreamed vividly that I was carrying around my phone, and it buzzed with an incoming notification. I pulled it out and turned it on to see what it was. The screen lit up with a white background, and at the top, a large green box that said: "#[a series of seven or eight numbers] is confirmed Covid-19 positive." I had to press the green button to confirm the notification so that it would go away. Though I can't now remember the number I saw, I knew it was my number, and that I was positive, because the notification had labeled me.

I did a quick self-check, but I wasn't showing or feeling any symptoms. I felt just as healthy as healthy could be. The only thing that clued me in to this sickness was that I had this phone notification with my ID number on it that told me I was positive for Covid. I hadn't been to the doctor, I hadn't been to see anyone. No one had examined me.

But the green button said it, so I knew it must be so. I had to tell my family, and I knew my kids would be scared, so I gathered them in our family den, and we looked up Bible verse after Bible verse about fear, anxiety, trust, storms, promises, and hope.

And then I woke up. 

I stared at the darkness above me. It was so vivid, and I so rarely remember dreams that this also stood out to me simply from the fact that it still felt completely real even after I woke up. I found myself trying to sort out dream from reality: Was there an app that would confirm a Covid positive without my having had an examination?

This morning, as I was praying, I brought this dream to the Holy Spirit to ask Him about it, as it still bothered me. I said: "I don't know if this is from You, or if it's just a compilation of random data that's been in my head for a while, but if it is from You, please show me what it means, and what I need to do with it."

I continued to pray about it. Some thoughts came: I was well, but my phone declared my sickness. My health was not dependent on exterior sources, but my phone declared it was so, and so I believed it, even though there was nothing that signified that it was true. No source, no examination, no nothing.

I wondered if the Lord was telling me: You are allowing yourself to believe far more than I've given you cause to believe.

I happened to be reading in Psalm 11 this morning, and verses 3-4 stood out to me: "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord is on His heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; His eyes examine them."

I got to thinking about the examination that should have informed me of my sickness, but there was no doctor examination. The Lord examines me; He's the One Who is on His heavenly throne.

In my dream, I'd believed a lie, and I was horrified about that when I woke up.

About that time, this hit me like a boulder: THE SOURCE OF MY SICKNESS WAS MY PHONE.

My SOURCE was my PHONE!!

This is the truth about where we are today, right now, right? Here's the word:

We the people are getting our "truth" from our phones, when our attention and trust and hope should be in the Truth, Jesus, the Christ. 

Following this word, the Holy Spirit challenged me to go on a phone fast. I'm starting with a week, from Sunday to Sunday (since I've already been on the phone today). I'll leave my messages open in case people want to talk or pray, I'll leave my blog open for Scripture study, but beyond that, I'll be off my phone. No news, no social media, no scrolling, no doomsday articles, no Covid stats, no fear propagation. I won't be burying my head in the sand, but I will be spending this week in an intentional, tuned-in, focused attitude of fellowship with my Savior.

Sometimes, a retreat is necessary for restoration. So that's where I'll be.