T42D: He’s only a prayer away
Rodders this week on prayer:
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I’m sure we all remember the old telephones that had a dial which had not only numbers but also letters of the alphabet within each number.
So did you know that in the Bible God has a telephone number?
It is JER 333, which can be found in the book of Jeremiah chapter 33 and verse 3, where we read, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know”.
God is available 24/7 and we only have to call out to Him.
Prayer is just talking to God, believing and knowing he will listen to us.
We sometimes use the analogy for prayer as having a telephone line to God. So, using that analogy, I came across this humorous posting that stated, ‘imagine praying and hearing this’: “Thank you for calling My Father’s House. Please select one of the following four options:
1. Press 1 for requests.
2. Press 2 for thanksgiving.
3. Press 3 for complaints.
4. For all other inquiries, press 4.’
What if God used the familiar excuse: “All of the angels are helping other customers right now. Please stay on the line. Your call will be answered in the order it was received.’
Can you imagine getting these kinds of responses as you call on God in prayer?:
1. “If you’d like to speak with Gabriel, press 1.
2. “For Michael, press 2.
3. “For any other angel, press 3.
4. “If you want King David to sing you a psalm, press 6.
5. “To find out if your relative is here, enter his/her date of death and listen for the list that follows.”
6. “For reservations at My Father’s House, simply press the letters J-O-H-N on the keypad, followed by the number 3–1–6.”
7. “For answers to nagging questions about dinosaurs, the age of the earth and where Noah’s ark is, wait until you get here!”
8. “Our computers show that you have called once today already. Please hang up immediately.”
9. “This office is closed for the weekend. Please call again on Monday. End of message.”
However, fortunately our calling out to God is not like that, as He is there 24 hours a day. He loves to hear from us and not just only when we’re in trouble, but to talk to Him about every aspect of our lives.
A sign outside a church on its notice board, read, ‘7 days without prayer makes one weak’; and that is so true.
I was reminded again during the VE day celebrations how King George VI called the nation to pray, firstly for D-Day in June 1940, to bring back the 300,000 troops stuck at Normandy and then in thanksgiving for victory in Europe.
Over time, as a nation, we have disconnected with the Almighty, but it’s heartening to know during this pandemic crisis of how many people are now tuning in to watching church services online and praying, perhaps for the first time.
J-O-H-N on the keypad, followed by the number 3–1–6, is from the Bible and John’s Gospel chapter 3, verse 16, that says,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”.
So the Thought for Today is that we can have an encounter with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as we turn to him in prayer.
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Rodders
