Do you EVER take a phone call without checking the caller ID? Not me! Caller ID technology has changed the way we deal with incoming calls. It lets us weed out the conversations we prefer to avoid. I know someone who doesn’t even look.
Before we get to that, let me welcome you to “Mornings with Bishop Robert,” thanks for stopping by. My goal is to introduce people to the Jesus they never knew, and help them get to know Him and His word personally – and better ! If our time together today speaks to your heart, then let me invite you to like, subscribe and share it with a friend!
Most of us look at the caller ID and decide if we want to take the call. Some calls – like ones from my wife or kids – get answered every time, no matter what I am doing. Others have names I don’t recognize or, even worse, ones I want to avoid. If the caller ID says “LIKELY SCAM” or “POLITICAL CALL” then I simply ignore it.
Thankfully, God doesn’t even look at the caller ID.
Today’s verse says THE LORD IS CLOSE TO ALL WHO CALL ON HIM.
The good news is that, when we come to the place where we realize our need for God and finally call out to Him, He hears and answers. Every time. He doesn’t look down at His caller ID and think to Himself, “Wow, I never thought THEY would give me a call !!” And He never decides to ignore the call of a sinner seeking His grace.
God knows when the ones who need Him will actually come to the place of deciding to call out to Him. And He’s waiting patiently for that day, because He WANTS to be able to answer the call. He’s looking forward to your call.
Think of some of the calls YOU have waited for, looking forward to the ring of the phone. Birth announcements, job interview decisions, outcomes of medical tests. We look forward to them with great anticipation. Those are calls that can be life changing. God wants to be a life-changing influence in your life, too.
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. God invites you to call upon Him. He says, “Come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.” When the world has broken the promises it made to you and your heart is crushed, He is the one who is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will he hears us. It is His will that we come to Him and ask for His grace. It is His will that we find freedom from the sin that is destroying our lives. It is His will that we invite Him to become our Lord, and that we follow Him. We know He will hear us when we ask for these things. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. We know He will answer our call.
THE LORD IS CLOSE TO ALL WHO CALL ON HIM
There is, of course, a flip side to this. Because God calls us, too! He reaches out to us in so many ways. He invites us to get to know Him. He draws us into a closer relationship with Him. Yes, God calls.
Are YOU answering?
