Phones Over Presence
“The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” — Habakkuk 2:20 (NIV)
Whenever I read this scripture, I am reminded of something very important: when I come into the presence of God, I must remember where I am and who I have come to meet.
The church is not merely a building where we attend a service. It is a place where we come to encounter God, worship Him, hear His Word and allow Him to speak into our lives. Yet, in this generation of constant notifications, messages and social media updates, I sometimes have to ask myself: Am I truly present when I come into the presence of God?
I walk into the sanctuary, and the service is already underway. The atmosphere is set for worship. I find a seat and join in the singing. Then suddenly, my pocket vibrates. The screen lights up.
Almost immediately, I convince myself, “I am only checking the time,” or “I am just looking up the Bible verse the pastor mentioned.” But before long, that quick glance turns into replying to a text, responding to an email, liking or commenting on a post, or spending several minutes scrolling through social media.
I have come to realise that the issue is not simply having a phone in church. The deeper issue is where we have placed our attention.
We may be physically present in the sanctuary while our minds and hearts are somewhere else. We may be sitting before the altar yet allowing a small screen to compete for the attention that belongs to God.
This is where, I believe, we must become intentional as children of God.
Psalm 46:10 tells us to “Be still, and know that I am God.” Stillness is more than simply keeping quiet. It is the ability to shut out the noise around us—and within us—so that we can recognise and respond to God.
When we constantly look down at our screens during worship or while the Word is being preached, we allow something else to become more urgent than the presence of the One we have come to worship.
Whether it is a social media notification, a work email, a news update or a message we feel compelled to respond to immediately, the danger is the same. We begin to treat corporate worship as though it were a place where we can multitask without consequences.
But church is more than a place for receiving information. It is a place of encounter.
We may take notes during a sermon and never revisit them, but a genuine encounter with God should continue to impact us long after the service has ended. We do not come to church merely to hear the pastor preach; we come with hearts ready to experience God.
This is why the message of reverence in the church is so important.
In a sermon on reverence in the church delivered in 2018 and revisited recently in 2026 at the James McKeown Temple, the Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, addressed the tendency of the present generation of churches to default to noise and excitement. He reminded believers of the words of Habakkuk 2:20: “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”
This scripture challenges me to reconsider how I approach worship and the attitude I carry into the presence of God.
If the Lord is in His holy temple, then we cannot approach His presence casually.
We cannot experience a deep spiritual encounter with a divided mind. Distractions can make us less attentive to the depth of what God is doing among us.
Reverence speaks of profound honour, respect and awe. When messages, notifications and other distractions continually pull our attention away from God, we risk losing the very sense of awe that should characterise our worship.
Leviticus 19:30 says, “Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.”
That scripture makes me pause.
If I were having a face-to-face meeting with a world leader, a respected employer or a highly regarded mentor, would I sit before that person scrolling through my phone? Certainly not.
I would give that person my full attention because I understand the significance of the moment. How much more, then, should we honour the presence of the King of Kings?
When we continually give in to the urge to check our phones during corporate worship, we may not say it with our lips, but our actions can communicate: “Something else is more important than this moment with You.”
We exchange the weight of God’s presence for the temporary satisfaction of a digital notification. The tragedy is that we may not even realise what we are missing.
While our eyes are fixed on a screen, the Holy Spirit is still moving. God may be speaking through a particular lyric during worship. He may be bringing conviction through a statement in the sermon. He may be giving direction during prayer or ministering to a part of our hearts that we have never spoken about to anyone.
But if our attention is constantly elsewhere, we may miss even the quietest whisper of God.
Sometimes, we leave a service wondering why we do not feel strengthened, transformed or spiritually refreshed, even though we came expecting to receive from God.
Perhaps, in those moments, the question should not be, “Where was God?”
Perhaps we should instead ask, “Where was my attention?”
God was present.
His Word was being preached.
Worship was taking place.
Prayer was being offered.
The Holy Spirit was moving.
But was I present enough to receive what God was doing?
I believe it is time for us, as a church, to reclaim the reverence that belongs to corporate worship. If we genuinely desire transformation in our lives, then we must be willing to give God the undivided attention He deserves.
So, the next time you walk through the doors of the church—and I mean your very next church meeting—make a conscious decision to activate “Do Not Disturb” or put your phone on airplane mode before the service begins.
If using your phone to read Scripture is likely to become a source of distraction, consider bringing a physical Bible. Put away anything that unnecessarily competes for your attention. More importantly, prepare your heart to receive from God before you take your seat.
Remind yourself:
I have come not merely to attend a service but to meet with God.
I will not allow screen time to steal a moment that God intends to use to transform my life.
I do not want to be physically present but spiritually distracted.
I do not want to leave the presence of God wondering what I missed because I was looking down when I should have been looking up.
I want to be a worshipper who is fully present.
Therefore, I will fix my focus. I will keep my eyes and heart tuned to the things of the Spirit, listening attentively to the Word God has for me, engaging meaningfully in worship and being fully present with the community of believers around me.
We must become a people who understand that reverence is not outdated, silence is not empty and stillness is not a lack of excitement.
God is always speaking, but we will most likely hear Him when we become still—when we put the phone down and become aware of the One who has been speaking all along.
So, let us put the phones away.
Let us look up.
Let us quiet our hearts.
Let us honour the sanctuary.
Let us give God our undivided attention.
And above all, let us refuse to allow a screen to steal our Kairos moments.
May we never become so distracted by what is happening on our screens that we miss what God is doing in the moment.
Father Lord, please strengthen Your Church to revere You whenever we come into Your presence. Help us to put aside every distraction and to seek You wholeheartedly, that we may see You, know You for ourselves and walk closely with You until You come again. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Esther Karl Asare( PIWC–Atomic, Haatso Area)
