We drove along a dirt road for about fifteen minutes. Right along the fence line of the farm paddocks on one side of the road were remnants of tall, wooden telephone poles.
I remembered when the telephone system reached the area and what a blessing it was to the farmers. They suddenly had a connection outside and beyond themselves. They were not isolated any more as they had been in the past. When they picked up the telephone, somebody was waiting at the other end to hear them.
They relied on the system in times of serious injury or of bush fires or even when machinery breakdown prevented them from harvesting their wheat crops.
When a breakdown occurred they could call a mechanic and they could call on a neighbour to help out in the meantime.
Every farmer kept an eye on the poles of communication along his fence line and on the wire slung between them. Falling tree limbs that put pressure on the line were dealt with immediately. Deteriorating brackets that held the wire on the poles were quickly repaired.
The line of communication was all-important and they put great trust in that one slender, fragile line.
For decades, these poles represented an immediate helpline.
They reminded me of a helpline I was taught to use from early childhood so that I need never feel totally isolated. It is summed up in Psalm 65, verse 2. “Hearer of prayer, to you everyone should come.”
Try it. The poles have not fallen down, the line is not pressured and the connecting bracket has not deteriorated. Jesus made sure the line is clear for you.
Elizabeth Price