Tuesday, May 1, 2018

The Invite

Submitted by Lara Cook
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. Jeremiah 33:3
Jeremiah was down and out.  He was in jail for preaching about God’s truth.  He must have felt hopeless even though he knew what he was doing was right.  He knew that being thrown in jail was a possibility and he believed that following God’s direction and preaching His word was worth it.  But still, when the reality hit, the loneliness and sense of hopelessness must have been overwhelming.  His options were few and none of them were good.  He might be tortured and killed or he might be a prisoner for the rest of his life.  There is literally nothing left for Jeremiah to do but to call out to God.  Have you ever been in that kind of place - that prison where you have absolutely no power to change things on your own, and you cannot see the light?  A place where you need God to show up in a big God way? 

GodinvitedJeremiah to call on Him. He told him if you ask me to help you, I will.  And not only will I help you but I will go beyond that and tell you amazing things that you have not known, nor could you have imagined!  God wants you and I to seek Him and call out to Him the same way he wanted Jeremiah to call to Him.  The same invitation He gave Jeremiah He gives to all:  
Call to me and I will answer you.   It seems so simple, yet we often wait until we are in a dark cell with no light and no hope before we seek Him.  In spite of the fact that we wait until we are desperate many times to call on God, He has extended the invitation first.  God’s invitation to call out to Him was not because Jeremiah was in trouble, it was because God is God.  God could not be kept out or stopped by a locked cell door or bars. God was right there with Jeremiah, listening to his prayers and He will always be with us too.  There is not anything or anyone that can ever shut God off from us.
It is comforting to know that the God of the Universe is seeking us to call out to Him. We all have the privilege of His immediate attention when we turn His direction.  All the while we are running in circles trying to fix everything ourselves, He waits patiently.  He promises to help and to show us things we have never known before.  He promises the light of day, shining into our dank, dark cells.  
Scripture to Claim:The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.  Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

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