In Isaiah 55:6 we read, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.” Frequently in Scripture the Lord invites us to call upon Him. Don’t ever think that your issue is too insignificant or trivial for the Lord to address. He wants us to “cast all our cares on Him.” (1 Peter 5:7) And He delights in coming to our rescue.
My good friend Jim Knuppe is a great pilot and holds many aeronautical records. He has flown around the world in his private planes several times. I remember Jim once shared a story of an incident he had with a powerful thunderstorm just outside Denver. The unusual air currents caused the plane to momentarily loose power and fall from the sky. Jim told me what came to mind was just that simple desperate prayer of a believer, “Jesus Help Me!” Scripture records the same prayer used by numerous kings, prophets, and disciples. Jim was spared from tragedy and he was able to land the plane safely and without incident.
There’s a story in Mark 10 about a blind man who cried out to Jesus for help in a similar way. This man was sitting beside the road begging when he heard the commotion of a large crowd. He asked what was going on and someone told him it was Jesus of Nazareth passing by. Apparently, this blind man had heard about Jesus and His ability to heal, so he called out to Him, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47) Many around the blind man told him to be quiet and not to trouble Jesus, but he cried out more. When Jesus heard him, He asked the crowd to call the blind man to Himself. “So, they called to the blind man, ‘Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.’ Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ Jesus asked him. The blind man said, ‘Rabbi, I want to see.’ ‘Go,’ said Jesus, ‘your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.” (Mark 10:49-52)
Even above the noise of the crowd and despite Jesus’ agenda, He heard this man’s plea, He stopped, and He healed him. Don’t ever think you’re troubling the Lord or keeping Him from something more important by calling on Him. He delights in hearing from His children. He won’t ignore your call. He even responds to our pleas for help when we’ve done something dumb, foolish, or simply unfortunate. I think of the young man Eutychus who fell asleep during one of Paul’s lengthy sermons. Eutychus was sitting in a third-story window when he fell asleep and fell to his death. Paul cried out to the Lord and the Lord gave the young man his life back. (See Acts 20:7-12.) In the same way, let us always call on Jesus to help us whatever the situation.
Scripture Reading: Psalm 55:22
Personal Application: What do you need to call on the Lord for today? Don’t delay, call upon Him in prayer right now.
Jim Grassi, D. Min. and Wendell Morton
We cherish any verse in Scripture that reminds us to keep focused and intentional about evangelism and discipleship. “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5