Archive Poster : May 2018
There's good reason to be worried about what happens to our data. Smart phones and computers store so much of our personal information. For example... intimate photos, political opinions, religious beliefs, bank account details. Or those emails from when you were sacked or that argument you had with your mother in law. The potential for embarrassment or even blackmail from data in the wrong hands is significant.
But whose hands are the wrong hands? Google, Facebook and Amazon try to profile our every thought and action so they can either sell us things or else sell our profile to advertisers and other companies. Tim Cook, the head of Apple, says, 'When an online service is free, you're not the customer - you're the product.' Recently, Apple has been telling its users that 'Privacy is a human right'. But then, can we trust Apple?
And is privacy a human right? It's certainly a time in history where it's harder than ever to leave past mistakes behind and start again. In a globalized, connected world, one can't just escape over a border and disappear to start again somewhere else. The Internet preserves and reveals all kinds of mistakes that we'd prefer to be forgotten.
In case you weren't aware, since God is our maker, He has access to all our data. In the Bible, King David prays to God and says, 'Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether' (Psalm 139). Therefore, since God knows about our every evil thought, word and deed, the question is, 'What will God do with our data?' Will he punish us by exposing our mistakes and shaming us before everyone?
No. You'll be relieved to know that God's radical promise to those who come to him in repentance and prayer is that he will entirely erase this data. 2000 years ago, at the cross, God put all our shame and embarrassment onto Jesus. And since our crimes have now been dealt with, God has decided to forget about them. in the 8th century before Jesus came God spoke through the prophet Isaiah saying:
"I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins."
So, turn to God in prayer, acknowledge all your secrets to him and thank him for his kindness to you in Jesus.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for dealing with my sensitive data. Please help me to live a life without shame.
Bible: "I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins" Isaiah 43:25
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