Chapter 4: The Time Has Come
Elijah, Ezri, and Eli walked together from the house to the old shed.
As the three entered the dusty shed, Eli ran toward the watch, which still lay on the dirt floor where it had been dropped.
“Hey, Dad, it’s not glowing any longer,” exclaimed Eli. But as soon as Eli picked it up and wiped the dust away from the crystal, it began to glow brightly again. Again the words scrolled across the bottom of the screen. “You have been located! Your destination has now been
determined. Your mission has been assigned. You must act now.”
“Push the upper right-hand button for your new assignment,” Elijah said. Before Eli had pushed the button, the mini stereo speakers on the watch also said, “Push the upper right-hand button for your new assignment.”
“How did you know it was going to say that?” asked Ezri.
“Because I created it,” Elijah replied.
“Oh, yeah,” she said.
Eli looked at his dad, then at Ezri, then again at the watch. “Well, what are you waiting for?” asked Elijah. “Find out what your new assignment will be; see what God has in store for you.”
“Uh, o-kay,” Eli said as his hands began to shake. With the push of the button, a new message began to quickly scroll across the small screen: ‘You have been selected for a special assignment. You must act now. Push the lower right-hand button.’
Eli pushed the button, and with a “swoosh,” a mini keyboard slid out of the bottom of the watch and the message on the screen changed: “Awaiting your response.” Eli stood silently. The earth seemed to stand still as he stared at the command on the screen. Then, looking up at Ezri, the twins grinned at each other. Both turned to face Elijah, their words echoing in harmony, “Let’s do it!” Elijah could not have been prouder of his kids than at that moment.
With a warm smile on his face, Eli hesitated no more. He pecked out a message on the mini keyboard, “HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS!” Immediately a response scrolled across the screen, and Eli and Ezri leaned over the watch, still held firmly by Eli, to read what the reply said.
“2 Chronicles 7:14-16: ’If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.’”
Eli responded quickly by typing: “We will humble. We will pray. We will seek You. Please heal our land!” Then, as though God Himself were speaking directly to Eli and Ezri, the remainder of that Scripture passage appeared on the screen as the words also erupted loudly through the speakers of the T2U: “Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.”
Tears welled in the eyes of Eli, Ezri, and Elijah. “Kids, let’s drop to our knees and pray,” said Elijah. “Surely the Lord is preparing you ‘for such a time as this.’”
Elijah, Eli, and Ezri formed a circle. The father’s arms were wrapped around the shoulders of his twin children as they each cried out before the Lord. Eli and Ezri knew they had heard from the Spirit of the Lord and that He was calling them to a special mission. But what was their mission? After minutes of sobbing before the Lord, Eli looked at the watch and noticed that the glow began to pulse, just like a heart beating. With each pulse the phrase “Show them the way!” scrolled across the screen.
“You know, kids, if we could actually touch the heart of God and hear the words coming from His heart, the same words would be heard by all who chose to listen: ‘Show them the way.’ For this reason, God loved the world so much He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins … and the sins of everyone who will believe in Him. For this reason, He wants us all to share His good news with everyone.
“The world is waiting for this message, and you two must share your faith in Christ Jesus with everyone who will listen. You must be like a mirror that reflects the image of Christ Jesus. Your actions and your words must point others to Christ.”
Boldly, Eli began to peck out the words, “Where do we begin?”
Eli was thinking that maybe he and Ezri would be called to some distant land, like their grandpa and grandma were called. Eagerly they waited to see what their first assignment might be. Once again the words, “Show them the way!” scrolled across the screen. But then an additional message formed: “Begin now. Begin at school. Begin in your community. Begin in your neighborhood.”
Eli and Ezri looked at one another, somewhat disappointed. “I know what you must be thinking, kids,” said Elijah. “You were hoping for something big, outstanding, and out of this world. But there are kids around us everywhere who are hurting and in need, and who are looking for something real. If you want to be superheroes, you can. But it starts right where you live—your school and your home town.” Elijah reached into the drawer of his dusty cabinet and pulled out the smaller T2U. After wiping the dust off of it, he said to Ezri, “This one’s for you.”
Elijah asked Eli for the other T2U and placed it next to the smaller T2U. Holding one in his left hand and the other in his right, Elijah pushed buttons on both watches at the same time. Codes began to flash from the larger T2U to the smaller one. Then the same codes began flashing on the smaller watch. For over a minute the two T2U’s flashed, beeped, and hummed as messages were beamed from Eli’s watch to Ezri’s.
“Now both watches are paired and can communicate with one another,” Elijah said as he handed the watches to Eli and Ezri. “No matter where you two may go in life, no matter how far apart the two of you may be, you can always communicate with each other. I am sharing this knowledge with you now because I know God has a special plan for your lives. There is one thing that puzzles me, though.”
“What on earth could that be, Father?” asked Ezri. “You’re a genius.”
“Well, Ezri, this one can’t be explained. You see, I could not have possibly programmed a watch that reveals the Word of God to you. That can only come from the Holy Spirit, who speaks the thoughts and desires of God Himself. That’s something no microchip and metal gizmo could ever do. It’s as if God has chosen to speak to you in this manner and at ‘such a time as this’ for a very special reason. Now I can’t wait to see how He’s going to use the two of you. You know, you are superheroes—not in flesh … but in the Spirit of God!” Goosebumps went up and down Eli’s spin. “I never thought I’d actually get to be a secret agent for God!”
“It looks like that time has come,” Elijah said. Pointing to the two T2U units he repeated, “Looks like that TIME has come.”
Let’s Talk
- What did Eli and Ezri discover in this story?
- Is there anything in the story you learned that will help you serve God greater and to live as a kid for Jesus at school and in our community? The T2U Adventures of Eli and Ezri
- Did you know God has an instant text messaging system? He has a way of sending us instant messages. It’s called the Bible. All you have to do is read God’s Word and see what the Spirit of God has to say to you. When we read the Bible, we have to understand two things. First, we have to read the Scriptures as if God was talking to people at the time those verses were written. Then we have to determine what God’s Word has to say for us today. The more you read the Bible, the more you’ll find certain things seem to leap out at you, like God is speaking directly to you through a text message. That’s the Holy Spirit speaking to you through His Word.
- Have you read the Bible lately? Would you like to read the Bible together, or maybe have me highlight some key Scripture verses in the Bible you can read to yourself? Some good ones to start with are the ones that Ezri and Eli have discovered so far in this story.
- Would you like to communicate directly to God and have Him answer you? Well you can. All you have to do is to talk with God then allow time for Him to speak back to you. Sometimes hearing God’s voice is simply sensing what He wants you to do and accepting how much God loves you. Let’s pray together and allow time for God to speak to us. Are you ready?