With an anticlimactic answer of “Hello,” a call was made on February 16, 1968 that started a revolution in the way things are done throughout the world. In Namibia, you dial 10111. In Zimbabwe, you would dial 999, 995, or 994. The number in Oman is 9999. Somalia uses 888 or 999. Central Africa uses 117, 118, and 1220. Israel uses 100, 101, and 101. But, in North, Central, and some of South America, the number is 911 for police, fire, and ambulance.
Prior to 1968, when we needed help, we either dialed the police, fire, or ambulance directly or dialed “0” for the operator. I still remember the phone stickers on my grandparents’ phone that were provided by the phone company with the local numbers for first responders. This was also in the day when the local funeral home served as the ambulance service. The emergency response service back then was inefficient, and something needed to be done.
By 1967, the FCC took charge of this new project. The American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T) chose 911 to be the emergency number only because it wasn’t being used as an area code or service code. At the time, AT&T had a “natural monopoly” …which was allowed to exist because high infrastructure costs and barriers to entry prevented challengers from emerging.”1
“At 2 p.m. on February 16, 1968, a special red telephone rang at the police station in Haleyville, Alabama. Rather than a police officer, U.S. Congressman Tom Bevill answered the call. On the other end of the line was Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite, calling from the mayor’s office (actually located in another part of the same building). Bevill’s simple answer of “hello” may not rank alongside Samuel Morse’s “What hath God wrought,” but it ushered in an important part of daily life, one that has saved countless American lives over the past 50 years. The call marked the first use of the emergency number 9-1-1, a technological answer to a life-and-death question—how do you get help quickly in the event of an emergency?”2
“For proponents of 911, this “first” was a huge milestone. But it would take several more decades for most of the country to gain access to the service. In 1976, the emergency number served just 17 percent of the population. Even by 1987, that figure had only risen to 50 percent.”3
The current issues 911 is facing revolves around the usage of cell phones. The original system was analog and based off of land lines. With people rapidly ditching their land lines for cellular service, 911 needs to adapt as well. Next Generation 911 (NG911) is being rolled out and “911 centers across the country need to be upgraded to NG911. While the technology to implement these new IP-based 911 systems is available, the transition to NG911 involves much more than just new computer hardware and software. Implementing NG911 in states and counties nationwide will require the coordination of a variety of emergency communication, public safety, legislative and governing entities.”4
The article that prompted this devotional started with these words: “February 16, 1968 sees the first official “911” call placed in the United States. Now taken for granted as first course of action in the event of emergency by nearly all of the nation’s 327 million people…”5 The phrase “now taken for granted” struck me.
God is treated many times as our 911 system. There’s nothing wrong with that and we are certainly supposed to call upon Him in times of trouble and distress. Psalms 50:15 says, “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” Unfortunately, many don’t think about God until they are in that day of trouble and just assume He is going to be there.
What if you had a medical emergency, you dialed 911, and you heard those three distinguishable tones before the message, “We’re sorry but the number you have reached is not a working number. Please check the number and dial again.” Did we take 911 for 
granted? When tax levies were on the ballot to upgrade the failing system, did we get grumpy about it and say, “I’m not supporting any new taxes. They’ve just wasted what they’ve got.” Now, we have no evidence or justification for such a statement. We’re just being cantankerous because our income is not matching our outgoing. Or we are cheap!
Do we take God for granted? We are supposed to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Jesus gave a parable in Luke 18:1 and the purpose of that parable was “that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” We should be in constant communication with the Lord, acknowledging His presence and our desperate dependence on Him. But, do we?
We know that God will always be there but that gives us no justification or excuse to neglect Him. Southern Gospel composer and singer, Mosie Lister, asked a great question in one of his most famous songs. “How long has it been since you talked with the Lord and told Him your heart’s hidden secrets?”
Philippians 4:6 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
1https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/february-16/first-911-emergency-call-is-placed-in-the-united-states
2https://www.americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/9-1-1-what-your-emergency-history-raising-alarm
3https://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/dial-up-the-story-of-the-first-911-call-which-was-placed-on-this-day-in-1968/
4https://www.911.gov/issues/ng911/
5https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/february-16/first-911-emergency-call-is-placed-in-the-united-states
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