Today is the day the Lord has made…
I will rejoice today because no matter what language I speak, God understands me. God is a personal God and meets each of us where we are. God hears and speaks all languages.
I recently read an article in the Associated Press about people calling the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL). They had an option to press a certain number for Spanish language communication. However, they got an automated AI voice that did not speak Spanish, but spoke English with a strong Spanish accent. The DOL apologized and said the problem had been fixed, but other calls to the service still got an accented voice using Spanish words for numbers such as, “Your estimated wait time is less than ‘tres’ minutes.” Sounds like they still have some glitches to work out!
Communicating with someone in a language they don’t understand can be difficult. Anyone who has done a bit of foreign travel know this is true. Some locations use icons to help us find restrooms which can be quite helpful. Asking for directions can be an exercise in charades or pantomime. Fortunately, it is easy to communicate with God.
One of the names for God in the Bible is El Roi (Genesis 16:13) which means “the God who sees me.” I think this implies more than Him just looking at us. God understands us. God hears us. God meets us where we are. God gives us His undivided attention. We don’t need a translator to interpret feelings, concerns, prayers, or our native tongue to God. There are thousands of languages and dialects in the world. AI might not understand them all, but God does!
“There are so many kinds of languages in the world, and
none of them is without significance.” ~1 Corinthians 14:10
