CALL ME

CALL ME

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jeremiah 33:3).

The other day I stopped over to visit with a friend and he showed me a project he was working on. I said to him, “Why didn’t you ask me to help you?” “Never thought of it,” was the response. Last Thursday (9/26) my friend called and said, “Pastor Nour, you are going to wish that you didn’t volunteer to help me.” I responded, “If I didn’t want to help I would have never offered my services. But I really do want to help and am glad you called. I will be over later to help you.”

I was able to help my friend get his project done. We had fun and thanked the Lord for the gift of friends who are willing to help when called upon, and mean what they say when it comes to assisting others. While I was helping him, the thought for this article came to mind.

In the book of Jeremiah, “God tells us to call upon Him and He will answer us.” He says, “Call Me! I am here for you! Call Me. I will help you! Call Me! I will come to your aid! Call Me and I will show you My mighty power!”

So often however, we are reluctant to call upon our Lord for help. Like my friend who said “You are going to wish you didn’t volunteer”, we treat God in the same way. We think we should go to Him only when things are completely out of our control.

But this is not what God says. “He states, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” I call this verse God’s phone number. The good news about this verse is that God is willing and able to hear our needs 24/7/365. You will never get a busy signal. You will never need the assistance of an operator. You will never need to push 1 for English. You will never need to go through someone to get to Him. He simply says, “Call Me and I will be here for you.”

In 1967 Marvin Gaye sang this song “There Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” that made it to the top 20 on the Billboard pop charts and went on to be number 3 in the R&B charts. Here is a portion of that lyric:

Listen, baby
Ain’t no mountain high
Ain’t no valley low
Ain’t no river wide enough, baby

If you need me, call me
No matter where you are
No matter how far
Just call my name
I'll be there in a hurry
You don’ have to worry.

Indeed, that is wishful thinking. Though the song is sweet and has great lines, in truth no one is always able to help another. Call me, but I am in Israel and won’t be back for another month. It is difficult to come to the aid of another human, though we want to.

But not our Awesome, Amazing and Almighty God! The Lord of the Universe who loves us wants us to come to Him and ask Him as little children ask their father for help. He is waiting and ready to assist in any situation, be it a blessing or a burden. He is the One who is always available in time and space to come to our aid. He even goes further, teaching us of His desire for our lives, saying: “Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).

In one of the most beloved hymns of our time, “What A Friend We have in Jesus” written by Joseph Scriven in 1855, is a message that far outshines Marvin Gaye’s message;

What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

Yes, it is true; we don’t call upon the Lord always. But we should since we are His beloved and redeemed children. And since we have a Savior, Jesus Christ who died and rose for us, we have the privilege and blessing of coming to the Lord through Him always. And when we do, God answers our every need for help. God either grants your request or He says, “I have something better planned for you!”

But He does answer, and in His loving and gracious way gives us what we need and not what we want.

Therefore, in the name of Christ, our ONLY Savior, I encourage you today and always to hear and heed the voice of the Eternal God, who says: “Call Me! I am here for you ALWAYS.”

In Christ’s love and in His service,

Rev. Nabil S. Nour, Pastor, Grandpa and Footwasher Phil. 1:6