"Call Me!"

Call unto me, and I will answer thee
and show thee great and mighy
things, which thou knowest not.
Jeremiah 33:3

One of the things I loved about going to spend time in the country with Aunt Dora and Uncle Bob (my dad's aunt and uncle) was their big box phone that was attached to their kitchen wall. To make a call, one would pick up the ear phone and stand on tip toe to speak into a small speaker attachment. The caller would then turn a crank on the side of the box and would ask to be connected to a certain party. During the day, that phone would just about ring off of the wall but my aunt and uncle would rarely answer it. They told me they listened for a certain ring that was their unique ring.  All the other rings were for someone else on their party line.

This was odd to me as we had a phone at home that sat on an end table. When we made a call, we picked up a receiver and heard a friendly voice say, “Number, please.” Our home phone number at one time was 889-J...no area code, no dialing a number 1 in front of anything. It was pretty simple. We always had a party line which meant we could pick up the phone and could listen in on other people's conversations if we wanted to, but didn't because it was a rude thing to do. The calling was pretty uncomplicated “back then.”

Those were also the Dick Tracy comic book days. Dick, a police detective wore a radio wrist watch where he could call anyone or people could call him. That seemed so incredibly impossible, it wasn't even funny. Who could know what we would see today with all of the cell phones people carry around in pockets or purses. We've gotten used to seeing people with phones up to their ears whether in the grocery store, in cars, at sporting events, etc. It's a long way from that big wooden box attached to the farm-home kitchen wall of my relatives.

Communication has come a long way. Where we used to be so dependent on telephones in their original state, our phones are now very portable and have even become a combination of phone and computer. Now whether at home or on the move, we don't even have to phone people. We can text on the move or engage in e-mailing if at home on computers or on lap tops that can go with us wherever we go. We are getting away from writing notes and letters and are even getting away from human, face-to-face contact that used to be a part of every day life.

The amazing thing today is that we can be in almost instant contact with another person who holds a similar gadget that we hold on our end. The thing is that when a call comes through, I can look at my phone and see who is calling me. I can choose to not even answer the call from that person if I don't want to talk to him or her. My dead-pan, stoic pre-recorded voice can come on after so many rings asking the person to leave their name and phone number with the apology that “I can't come to the phone right now...”. How cool is that... or so we think. We can even become liars in a simple thing like answering or not answering the phone.

Much of this information isn't anything new to any of us. However, just the act of “calling” has been important to us for our lifetimes, calling that in many instances, hasn't had anything to do with a phone or computer, such as:

*A lost child in the store, calling for his mom or the mom calling for her lost child
*Mom calls children to supper
*Dad calls the family dog into the house
*Teacher calls the class in from recess
*Doctor calls a patient with test results
*Someone calls 911 when an emergency arises
*One neighbor calls across her yard to another neighbor

In every one of these situations, an immediate response is expected or hoped for. There are many instances when we call out to someone that we want their attention right away. Calling out is more than calm, cool conversation. There's a little more importance attached to when we call out to someone for something. It may not always be an emergency but it may be a little more important than general contact with another.

Lately in my Scripture reading, I have been coming across verses that assure me that when I call to God, I get His instant attention. He doesn't have some old-timey phone hanging on a Heavenly wall where He has to wait for His certain ring. He doesn't have to fumble for a cell phone or look to see who is calling in case He doesn't want to hear from a particular person. Others may not choose to take a call from me or may not get back to me with an answer to an e-mail I sent. Sometimes, we judge God by our own societal norms but God doesn't act according to our ways. He works in His own ways on our behalf.

For the Christian, God hears every communication. For the unsaved person...no. The only prayer God hears from the non-Christian initially is when the unsaved confesses his/her sin and accepts Jesus as personal Savior. Then there is the establishment of a relationship. Good things happen in the lives of the unsaved but Scripture tells us that that is for the purpose of drawing them to God, the Source of all good things.

Meanwhile, let's be encouraged by what we see in God's word to encourage His children that He hears us when we call and that our praying is never in vain. He gives us His undivided attention unlike friends who allow their children to interrupt conversations while they are on the phone. Let's go to the Word and be encouraged:

Because He inclined His ear to me,
therefore I will call on Him as
long as I live,
I will offer to You the sacrifice of
thanksgiving and call on the
name of the Lord.
Psalm 116:2,17 (ESV)

Seek the Lord while He may be found;
call upon Him while He is near.
Isaiah 55:6 (ESV)

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all
who call upon You.
In the day of my trouble I call upon You,
for You answer me.
Psalm 86:5,7 (ESV)

Dear Father, even in this moment, You are hearing me as I type. You hear my heart no matter how I communicate with You and I thank You for that. I don't deserve a moment of Your listening ear except through Jesus, Who with You loves me beyond words and died for me. When no one else will listen, I know that You do. Thank You more than words can express. In Jesus Precious Name....Amen