Next Sunday 23rd April at 3pm anyone in the UK with a 4G or 5G phone which is switched on will receive a test message to their phone. It will read: "This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there's a life-threatening emergency nearby. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe."
Apparently this service will be used for flash floods or wildfires. It could also be used during terror incidents or civil defence emergencies. As the government increases the use digital technology to deliver services and help keep people safe this seems like a good development to warn us of hazards and how to deal with them.
The Bible is full of stories of hazard and peril – a flood which destroyed everything except Noah and his family and the animals, plagues of locusts, extreme weather such as hail and famine. There were also hazards caused by humans. At Evensong yesterday we read about Daniel being condemned to death in the lions’ den for continuing to worship God in the face of a law against it and there is a great deal of war and violence in the Bible. In the absence of mobile phones and government alert systems people relied on prayer and listening to God to know how to deal with what faced them. God told Noah to build an Ark, how to do it and what he should do with it. God guided Elijah in how to survive in the face of drought and famine.
I am very glad to live in a time and a place where we benefit from modern technology, health and safety measures, and systems for dealing with hazards. But this does bring its own risks. It is easy for us to forget our reliance on God, to feel that humans are self-sufficient and in control, and to fail to thank God for his blessings and the ways he works in an ever-evolving world.
When we receive our alert next Sunday, as well as remembering to acknowledge it before we can continue to use our phones, perhaps we can take a moment to thank God for the ways in which he blesses us and keeps us safe whilst praying for those caught up in real emergencies around the world.
Lord God
Thank you for carefully creating all of us and the wonderful world we live in.
Thank you for the technological and scientific advancements that humans continue to make. We ask for forgiveness for the human actions and inventions that have damaged your world, increased hazards and created conflict.
Thank you for your steadfast love and compassion. We pray that you will be with those facing emergencies and danger around the world.
Help us to remember that you are our strength and our salvation.
Amen
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