Tmobile Tfillos

Shalom Shalom!
Summer is upon us. The sun is shining, the ice cream trucks are out, and everyone’s outside. In this fun filled time of the year when all we can think about is tanning and going biking, it’s a pretty good time for a shot of inspiration.
My phone broke a few weeks ago. Not only was it absolutely not working, it ceased to function during the exact week that I needed it desperately. Not in the “I neeeeeeeeeeed my phone or I cant survive” sense, but I was coordinating a bunch of stuff and I really needed to be in contact with a lot of different people. So I went into the phone store, found the lady behind the counter and begged her “PLEASE!! Fix my phone!!” Being that this is her job, she smiled and asked for the culprit. I handed it over. She opened it. She closed it. She opened it again. “Ma’am, I don’t see any problem with your phone, it is working just fine.” I was shocked! I was ecstatic! I took the phone from her and saw with my own two eyes that it was working. Amazing.
After I had gone outside and walked down the block I realized that I had to make a phone call. I pulled out my now healthy phone, opened it up to make a call….and voila! It’s broken again. No problem. I go back to the store, walk in and hand my phone to the lady. I said, it’s still broken! She opened it, closed it, opened it again and said “Ma’am. I still don’t see a problem. There’s nothing wrong with your phone.” I checked it in the store, and she was right, it was working just fine. So, I make my way out of the store, and am down the block again when I open my phone again. And yes, it was no longer working. As I walked back into the store, I saw the ladies eyes open wide as she probably contemplated calling the cops on the crazy lady whose walking in with a healthy phone. Regardless, I tried to explain that it was working inside their store, but as soon as I left the store, it went beserk. There was no talking to this lady, she didn’t understand. I went outside pretty bummed out that I would have to buy a new phone or something.
As I was walking down that same street I was thinking about the strange occurrence of events. It just didn’t make sense that my phone works in the store and not outside of it. I went through the possibilities of what it could have been. Barring any other worldy creatures with four heads and one eye, I figured there HAS to be a rational reason.
And then of course, it hit me.
I forgot to daven for it!
Silly me.
Clearly, Hashem created my cell phone, Hashem broke my cell phone, and Hashem could FIX my cell phone! Of course! So I sat and I davened, and I davened, and I davened. I left my phone alone for a few minutes, and when I opened it up it was working again!
I was just talking with a good friend about how hashgacha pratis [Divine intervention] play out in our every day lives. She was mostly convinced that Hashem put a plan into the world, and while He is involved, He isn’t involved on an intricate detailed level. There is nature in the world, and the process of nature takes over. She was saying something very smart that is spoken about extensively in the sifrei kedoshim.
BUT. The Chovos Halevavos says that Hashem gives strength to whatever we put our trust into. Meaning that if you work for someone, and you put your trust into your employer then your livelihood will be based upon that person’s moods. But if you put your trust in Hashem then your employer becomes a shaliach for Hashems funds to funnel through. In the same vein, if you put your trust into the natural world, then your ability to move around in the world is dependant on the rules of nature. But if you put your trust in Hashem then nature is just the shaliach to help you serve Him better. So that if you are stuck in traffic but you MUST get somewhere, you can simply say to Hashem “Hi. You’re my Father and my Traffic Director, would you mind getting me there on time?” And if the answer is yes, then you will absolutely get there on time.
So what happened with my phone?
I truly believe that Hashem broke it in order to hear my tefillos. But I forgot to daven. So He created such a bizarre situation where my phone worked in the store, broke a block away continuously. It was just so weird that it forced me to recognize that what was needed at that moment was tefillah. And when a person puts their trust in Hashem, and not the sales people, all it takes is a little prayer for Hashem, our Mechanic, to fix a phone.
Hashem should bless us with the clarity to always see Him, put our trust in Him, and recognize that He only wants good from us.
Have a great day!