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What happens when the internet goes down — and stays down? Explore how undersea cable vulnerabilities reveal our fragility, and why anchoring trust in God matters more than ever.

As recently reported, the Strait of Hormuz challenges are not only about oil. Underneath those tankers are seven critical internet cables sitting on the seabed. By publishing a map of the cables, the IRGC has issued a threat to the Gulf States that rely on those cables for 90% of their internet data for banking and cloud services.

What most people don’t understand is that 90-97% of the world’s internet does not travel by satellites; it travels by fibre optic cables on the ocean floor.

In 2024, four cables in the Red Sea were cut. Twenty-five percent of Europe-Asia data traffic vanished overnight. One cable took five months to repair because no vessel could enter the conflict zone. Now the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz are both being targeted.

Dependence on the Internet vs Dependence on the Word

While much of our daily routines depend on internet connectivity, there is a far greater need to depend on the God who created the entire universe. We might like to think we are in control and, in our busyness, forget that He holds the whole world in His hands.

If the cables are cut, the internet goes down – and stays down, how will you react? Will you feel lost? Will the resulting chaos, for there surely will be chaos, cause you to panic?

In Sydney, only one provider went down, and the traffic lights, trains, banking and airports were all affected. Many people were angry, seeking who to blame for their interrupted plans. A full analysis of the outage, its estimated cost [AUD$2 billion] and the millions of customers affected, can be found here.

A frequent response to a critical incident is to hear the cry: “Oh God!” But do we know the God we are calling on? Do we know Him well enough to trust Him? Do we only call on Him when we are in dire distress?

The good news is He longs for us to have a relationship with Him all the time, and He even promises He will never leave us. He will guide us with wisdom and strength if only we turn to Him.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
– Matthew 24:35

Throughout history, attempts have been made to destroy the Word, but even if all the books in the world were burned, the Living Word of Christ would still stand.

Resilience Building

Instead of raw panic, anger and chaos, much angst can be saved by thinking through the what-ifs, being informed and taking steps to work out what is critically important.

One devastating effect of the outage in Sydney was that the emergency numbers were not responding. Sadly, this may have contributed to several deaths. However, there was a time when there was no emergency number to call, or an expectation that an ambulance could reach you in minutes. You just had to do your best.

Ask your relative who went to war, or who serves on the front line, ambulance, fire, or police. They have to make split-second decisions and do their best with whatever is available. They build courage, resilience and are expertly trained. Their training enables them to respond when called upon, no matter the circumstances.

Are they often afraid? Of course. Many will say they rely on God’s strength, or recognise a power outside themselves when they really need it. We cannot all be expertly trained like a first responder, but we can take steps to ensure we are spiritually and psychologically prepared for when the unexpected happens.

Finding Security Outside Our Circumstances

Maybe you feel you can’t go out without your mobile phone – all the what-ifs seem to follow you. One of the greatest ways to feel secure is to know you are loved by the One who is faithful, kind, compassionate and knows you better than you know yourself. He knows when you are afraid and says: I will never leave you or forsake you. The way to find out about Him is to meet Him in the Book He has given us.

In the Bible, both logos and rhema are translated as word. In philosophy, such as Plato and Aristotle, logos represents the objective truth or reason behind reality, as opposed to myth. In the Gospel of John, the logos is the pre-existing Word of God, which manifested as Jesus, our Messiah, God-incarnate.

In the beginning was the Word (logos], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. – John 1:1-5

Jesus is the Living Word. The whole Bible is about Him. When you “read, mark, learn and inwardly digest” the Word, you are encountering the Living Christ, Lord and Saviour. Logos occurs more than 330 times in the New Testament.

Rhema means ‘spoken word’ or ‘utterance’, and in Christianity, it is usually associated with the Holy Spirit bringing clarity to a specific verse, or experience of personal direction or revelation. It occurs seventy times in the New Testament. Sometimes the two words are used together – the general logos is clarified by the more specific rhema.

It may be tempting to give more emphasis to the Holy Spirit, but pursuing a deep understanding and relationship with Jesus, the Living Word, will take our focus off our own personal experience so we can see the world and our circumstances through Jesus’ eternal lens.

When we start to see the “Big Picture” of God’s purpose to bring all of humanity into His Kingdom, our insecurities melt away. Those things we felt we could not live without become less important, and our trust in God’s goodness takes on a new depth.

Prayer

Dear Jesus, in Your mercy and grace, please help us to trust You more. Even as You faced impending death, You said to Your Father: Not my will, but Yours be done. When we are anxious, fearful and confused by this world’s chaos, please help us to turn to You, to receive Your peace and assurance of Your love. Thank You, Jesus, our Saviour and King, the Living Word. Amen.

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Image courtesy of Adobe.