April 28 – He Hears When We Call

“I love the LORD, because He hears My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.”  Psalm 116:1-2 (NASB)

What reasons come to our minds when we think about why we love the LORD God?. This is an intensely personal “thank you” Psalm to the Lord for saving the psalmist from death. The occasion and author are unknown, although the language used by Jonah in his prayer from the fish’s stomach is remarkably similar. Compare Psalm 116:3-4 with Jonah 2:5-6. In these words the psalmist tells how he reacted to the way the Lord responded to his call for help. These words may well also express our feelings in reaction to how God responses when we cry for mercy. It's surely true that when the Lord responds by turning his ear to our call for help our hearts respond in love for Him. Yes He is a wonderful, faithful Lord and we do love Him. And isn't it true that when God does hear our prayer it encourages us to again and again call on Him whenever we need help? This is a habit we want to have throughout our lives. Let’s join with the psalmist, saying what he said in our verse “I will call on him as long as I live.”

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March 25 – Call, He Answers

“They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ And they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”  Zechariah 13:9b (NASB)

Our passage today is another which is about Jesus Christ and his work as our sacrifice. It speaks first of how a remnant of the people of Israel will see and receive Jesus when He comes again. We have many promises in the Bible about the way God answers prayer. Today's verse has the words, “They will call on my name and I will answer them.” This is God's promise through His prophet Zechariah that He will answer our prayers and He will say, “They are my people.”  Not all will receive the Lord  at his return to Earth and while this promise was given specifically to God's people Israel, who were His people in those days, He has never changed this promise toward those who have believed – we are His people now because we are part of His family. The promise we can claim today is that when anyone of us calls on God in Jesus' name, He recognizes us as His own and He will respond. We can count on it – He will respond to our prayer today friends, because we are His people and He is our Lord and God.

 

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September 19 –Not Far Away But Near

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” - Psalm 145:18 (ESV)

Perhaps there are times when you feel distant from your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is not uncommon for those who believe to go through trials and testing of their faith. Sometimes it seems that what is before us is insurmountable and like a huge tidal wave it is about to wash over us and take us under. That is the time to remember this promise and call on God. If you have repented and believed on Jesus Christ, you have been saved from the wages of sin and are safe in Christ. Being in Christ is why we can believe that the LORD is near when we call on Him. He is not distant and He is not out of reach of our voice. In fact if we are truly in Christ, then He is in us with His Holy Spirit. This is not hocus-pocus as many who reject Jesus would claim. Our Almighty God is a spirit yet a true person who loves and cares for us enough to offer His only begotten Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for our sin. He promised this long ago and what God promises, He fulfills. 

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August 03 – Seek Now

“Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.” – Isaiah 55:6 (NASB)

Our promise today is one that brings thankfulness to our hearts and without fail, we can trust the promise. But, more than a promise, it is an invitation from our Lord God. God is near and being near means he is ‘findable.’ This appeal is for all people, believers, but especially those who have not yet chosen to believe in the only God, our Savior Jesus Christ. What can we believe when we seek the Lord? We can believe that we will receive mercy and pardon. From the beginning of time the Lord has required the same thing for salvation and that is that we trust in Him. Salvation by grace and mercy has always been available to the all who are willing to seek the Lord and call on Him. There is a warning, God can be found only while He is near, which means while His offer is still available. There are also promises of a time of His judgment when it will be too late to receive the mercy and pardon God offers it to us now. Be thankful today if you in faith have believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

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June 27 – When God Listens

“Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’” Isaiah 58:8-9a (NASB)

The people of Israel were complaining that God did not recognize their religious actions. God responds to them that their fasting was half-hearted and done with the wrong motivation. Insincere fasting resulted in contention, fighting, and pretense. Fasting consisted of more than just an outward ritual and a mock penitence, it involved repentance over sin resulting in humility. Turning from sin, and caring for those in need was required for God to acknowledge their obedience in fasts. In contrast with the complaint of v. 3, a time will come when the Lord will be completely responsive to the prayers of His people. This will be done when they are converted and giving evidence of the transformation in the kind of works that reflect a truly repentant heart  This verse is an interesting way to describe what happens when we pray. Seek God with the right heart and God will pour out His blessings. God has a way of letting us know that He is listening when we pray. When we are praying in earnest we'll be aware that God's is there and listening because He has promised to be there.

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August 13 – Listening and Learning

“Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 (NASB)

God gave this promise to His prophet Jeremiah when he needed it. Jeremiah wrote it down for us because we also need to know to call to God and He will answer us. Our lives are not smooth sailing much of the time.  But we too often fail to remember that we need and have available the wisdom of God to help us. We all have to admit that as we manage the hills and valleys, there are many things we do not know or understand.  In this verse our God is reminding us that He knows what we do not know.  He is willing to share his wisdom and knowledge with us. Yes, our God does know everything. He has the answers to the problems which trouble us. But when we acknowledge Him and we have to ask for the help.  He is willing to give us the answers to these questions and all He is waiting for, is for us to ask Him for His help. He'll tell us things we couldn't find out by ourselves. Let's ask and then let's listen and learn.

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March 8 – Wholehearted Seeking

“Then you will call upon me and 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.”  Jeremiah 29:12-13  (ESV)

We are promised in this proclamation from God, through Jeremiah, that when we seek God we will find God.  Does it seem sometimes that when we are looking for God’s help or an answer to a perplexing circumstance, getting a response is difficult?  What is our attitude when we call on God?  What is our expectations when we seek Him for help?  Is it to hear and obey what God has to say to us?  Or, is it to preserve our way of life and escape the trials and testing we facing?  In this passage just prior to this verse, God is telling Israel that after seventy years in Babylon He will visit His people and He will fulfill His promise to bring them back to Jerusalem.  There is much that will happen first because they are yet in wholehearted rebellion against the message Jeremiah has been bringing to them.  When we receive a message from God through His Word the Bible or through teaching or preaching of His Word, our response needs to be a wholehearted desire to seek God.  That is when God promises to hear and listen to our cry. 

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September 30 – Calling With Expectations

“They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.” Zachariah 13:9b (NIV)

Do we ever call upon the name of God sincerely with expectations that He hears us and will answer us?  This verse and its words are a part of a prophecy from God send through the prophet Zechariah.  It is about God’s people repenting and calling on His name. God often disciplined His people because of their sin.   This passage tells us how God reacts when His people turn back and call on Him. The Lord said that when His people, the Children of Israel, would come back to Him and call on His name, He would recognize them as His own. We believe this is how God reacts to us when we call on Him whether in repentance or in a plea for help. Anytime we call He recognizes us as His own. He says, “They are my people.”  Is it not good we have that assurance that He knows we are His when we call on Him and He takes action on our behalf?

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June 12 – Call, He Is Near

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.”  Psalm 145:18-19 (NASB)

The great Lord whom we serve is the great God of the universe.  We can say He is everywhere but now our promise in today's verse assures us that He is near to those who follow Him and who call upon Him.  We can take this as a promise that God does come close to us when we call to Him especially if we are truly praying to Him.  We have to be calling on God in truth and faith believing.  Our verse also assures us that God hears when we ask Him for His help in our lives and He fulfills our desires.  If what we want God to do for us is according to His will He will be sure to answer our prayers.  Even in time when we are in desperate circumstances He hears our cry for help and He will save us from evil.  Let's be sure that we expect this and that we thank our heavenly Father for His help each time.  

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January 18 – Be True

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”   Psalm 145:18  (ESV)

Our promise today is assurance that God is aware of us when we call on Him in prayer.  He listens and draws near to us.  We do have a wonderful God in heaven.  He knows each person and He knows those who truly believe in Him.  He is aware when any one of us wants to express our feelings to Him.  Often we may say, or hear someone say that they will pray for another who is facing a trial.  We don't know exactly if they are sincere or just trying to be sympathetic – but we know if we are being truthful.   God knows who is calling on Him in truth for themselves or for others.  He knows the heart and mind of each of us and because He promises to be near to all who call on Him in truth, we can have confidence that He will be near when we call on Him with a truthful heart.  Let's be true when we say we will pray for a needs of another or of our own need.  God is standing near listening.  He knows. 

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October 22 – Calling Sincerely

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.” Psalm 145:18 (NASB)

This verse does not say anything directly about God answering prayer but we believe this is the promise we find here.  We believe that this verse is all about God promising to respond when we pray.  God knows everything – our past, present, and future – and He knows when anyone calls on Him in prayers.  When we call on God in prayer, He knows what we are thinking.  Yes, God knows exactly what we are thinking and what we are feeling when we pray.  He knows before we know ourselves.  God knows if we are sincere and if we truly believe that He can and will answer us.  Our verse tells us that when we pray sincerely (in truth) and with faith, God pays attention.  God is near to us when we call and and he comes nearer when we pray sincerely.  And, He lets us sense His nearness and this strengthens our faith and our trust in Him.  

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October 13 – Calling

“For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,  abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.”  Psalm 86:5 (ESV)

These words are addressed to God as in a prayer but the psalmist is not asking for anything.  The verse is for us a promise.  It reminds us how much God loves those who trust Him.  It reminds us that when we call on Him in faith, we can experience His love as He responds to our call.  It promises us what God is like. He is good, forgiving, and loving toward us.  The steadfast love is sometimes called lovingkindness which is God's unending mercy toward us.  We can know God through these attributes when we call on Him.  We who believe know that calling on God is what He wants us to do.  Yes, my friend, when we turn to God asking Him to help us, He showers His love upon us.  This was the psalmist David's experience and it can be ours as well.  

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October 11 – Being Truthfully Sincere

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.”  Psalm 145:18 (NASB)

We who truly believe in God know that He does not keep office hours.  We know that God is everywhere, and we can call on Him at any time from any place or situation.  We will never find a “Be back at...” sign on his door.  We need to remember though, that we must have the proper attitude when we call on God.  David, the psalmist reminds us of this in today verse.  Our God is everywhere and our God knows everything and He has wonderful ways of making His presence real to those who sincerely want to experience His nearness.  Yes, it is possible to call on the Lord without sincerity.  It is possible to say we will pray without actually ever saying a sincere prayer to God.  It is possible to do it as a matter of practiced form, or for the wrong motive.  We can pray to impress others with a facade of piety.  But God knows our hearts, and our thoughts, and the motives we have. This promise calls for us to be truthful and sincere when we seek and call out to God who is always near, and always knows, and always ready to help. 

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October 5 – Calling for Help

“and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”  Psalm 50-:15 (NIV)

The Bible contains many messages delivered to God's people through the prophets He appointed.  The messages were given to the prophets who delivered them to the people and recorded them for the benefit of the people who lived at the time as well as for us today.  We find these messages also in books of the Prophets and even in the Book of Psalms.  We believe the messages from the psalmists are from God just as those messages that came through the mouth and pen of the prophets.  We receive such a word and promise from the psalmist Asaph* in Psalm 50.  Our God knows when we face problems and He knows we face days of trouble as we do His work.  He knows what causes our hearts to become concerned and He knows how to help us face the trouble.  He invites us to call upon Him at times like that.  God's promise is that He will bring us through the day of trouble.  He know too that if we recognize that He is helping us we will give Him the honor and praise that He deserves. 

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Who is Asaph the psalmist?

July 7 – Abounding, Inexhaustible, Good

“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.” Psalm 86:5 (NASB)

This verse has been chosen because we want to focus on the expression David has written in this prayer song. It is the expression “abundant in lovingkindness.”  Other versions might read “abounding in steadfast love” or “abounding in love.”  What does it mean that God is abounding or abundant in love?  It means that He has so much love that it keeps flowing, it keeps running over.  It means that no matter how much love He shows us there is still much more there for us to experience. In fact, He has an inexhaustible reserve and there is no way that our Lord will ever run out of His love that He has for us and shows to us. There is enough love in the heart of God to meet all our needs, to cover every situation that we will ever face.  But our verse reminds us that in order to experience God's love we need to call to Him.  He promises that He is good and ready to forgive and help every person that calls on Him.  Let's call on Him today for whatever challenges we face or for whatever failures we've experienced.  God is pouring out His love on us.

April 3 – He Takes Up Our Cause

“I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit;” Lamentations 3:55 (ESV)

“You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’ “You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life.” Lamentations 3:57-58 (ESV)

One of the prophets in the Old Testament was Jeremiah. He was faithful in delivering  the messages God gave to him to give to His people. Jeremiah suffered much for people who didn't want to hear these messages. They hated hearing the warnings against them.  After God's judgment fell on the City of Jerusalem, Jeremiah expressed his feeling in the book of Lamentations. These verses from that book are selected for us today. When once Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern and sank into the mud at the bottom he did not forget God. And God had not forgotten Jeremiah either. He heard the prophet call out to Him and He acted to save him.  This is just one example of how our God watches over His people, even if we are not sinking into an actual pit as Jeremiah did. It might just be a pit of discouragement or of depression or emotional difficulty. He will take up your case when you call on him because He has redeemed your life and He has promised to never desert you and He has promised to carry you when you need Him to. 

February 2 – Call, He Answers

“They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’” Zechariah 13:9b (NIV)

We have many promises in the Bible about the way God answers prayer. Today's selection for a verse has the words, “They will call on my name and I will answer them.” This is God's promise through the prophet Zechariah that He will answer our prayers and He will say, “They are my people.”  While this promise was given specifically to God's people Israel, who were His people in those days, He has never changed toward those who have believed – we are His people now because we are part of His family. The promise we can claim today is that when anyone of us calls on God in Jesus' name, He recognizes us as His own and He will respond. We can count on it – He will respond to your prayer today friends, because you are His people and He is your Lord and God.

October 23 – Call And He Answers

“Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’” Isaiah 58:9a (NASB)

This verse from Isaiah has an interesting way of describing what happens when we pray to God. We often speak of God answering prayer by acting in a positive way in response to our prayer. When we pray God does something to show that He hears us and we say this is our answer. Our verse today reminds us of another way that God answers prayer. It says that He will say, “Here am I.” This does not mean that we will hear Him in an audible way speaking words to us. But when we pray and then sense in our hearts that God is near us listening, isn't that as good as if we heard His actual voice? Let's thank him today for the promise that when we cry out, He is there for us.

October 8 – Near, Not Far

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Psalm 145:18 (NIV)

The promise for us to carry with us today is much like the one yesterday. We speak of our Lord as being in heaven but when we pray to Him we realize that He is not far away from us. When we need God's help it is not as if we are making a long-distance call. He is aware when we sense the need for His help and He is listening for our call and He responds. Our verse today reminds us that the Lord has a way to make us realize that as we are talking to Him He is right here with us. When we turn to Him and begin expressing our thanksgiving and prayers and petitions He has a way of helping us be aware of his presence, His near presence. As you call on Him today, notice his nearness and rejoice.

June 27 – God is Listening

“Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;  you will cry for help, and he will say: "Here am I.""   Isaiah 58:9a (NIV)

A recurring theme and promise in the Bible is that God hears our prayers and is there to answer them. This promise was given by God to His people through His prophet Isaiah. This verse is an interesting way to describe what happens when we pray. It doesn't mean that we will hear an audible voice when we call on the Lord. It's not quite like hearing a voice answering when we call on a telephone. But God has a way of letting us know that He is listening when we pray. If we are praying in earnest we'll be aware that God's is there and listening because He has promised to be there. In our hearts we can sense it just as if He said “Here am I.” What a wonderful heavenly Father we have. Let's be sure to take advantage of this promise in this verse.