He is Just a Call Away

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

Jeremiah 29:12 (NIV)

The declaration of the Lord in Jeremiah 29:11 in our previous post, "God of Prosperity" is followed by subsequent verses which are as important and hold the key to the fulfillment of that promise. For many years as a young believer, I would hear this promise been quoted repeatedly. However, many occasion the subsequent verses were never mentioned. One day as I read the passage again, the following verses 12-14 gripped my heart. This promise comes with a requirement - an ACTION from our part. The only way to know the true success in life is to CALL upon God. The urgency must arise within our spirit to go and approach God; talk to him and his promise is he will LISTEN to us. So many of us complain God doesn't care, doesn't listen, life is so aimless. Question - have we talk to him enough? Listen enough? Then act on it.

In my schooling years, I walked into my house after school daily with the same ritual. Before I even bathed, I would sit beside my mum who worked on her pieces at the sewing machine. My ever patient mum would silently listened to my joy and pain of growing up. She rejoiced with me when I was happy and empathized with me in my challenges. In between my long talk, she would throw in wise counsel, usually only a few words but full of wisdom. Some days I would enter the room without saying anything. Mum would ask without fail, “Don’t you have anything to tell me?” She’s mum! She knows her child well. These are days when I was too tired to talk, too hurt to bring it up or found it too silly to share.

Throughout the past week, the word which brewed in my mind was “seek”. I persistently asked God for a deeper meaning of the word. I found my conversation with the Lord in my old journal pertaining to this very scripture, Jeremiah 29:12 and seeking him.

Cease complaining,
come and converse with the Creator;
cultivate confidence and courage!

His encouragement is just simply to stop fretting and complaining. His invitation is "come" - call me, converse with me for I am your Maker. I received my confidence and renewal of courage as a growing child as I talked to mum. We will find as we talk to God constantly, we are cultivating confidence and courage that we never knew we possess.

Just as my mum waited to hear from her eager child’s daily reports, God longs to hear from us all the time too. I am blessed to have a mum who was always ready to listen to me shout my joy as well as ventilate my frustration. We are certainly blessed with an amazing God who is always listening and always understanding. Perhaps for many of us, God is pursuing us like my mum did to me, “Don’t you have anything to tell me?” Do we have anything to come before Him today and pray. He promises – He will listen.

She's mum and knows me well.
He's our Father and knows us full well (Psalm 139).

"My Good Lord, I thank You for the invitation to come and converse with You. How blessed am I. I renew my pledge to You today to call upon You daily and all the time. As I do that, I long to hear You speak to me the secrets of Your heart. In Jesus' name. Amen."