Christians, this past week we had a guest speaker for our Church. He spoke on many different and varying topics, but one story stuck out and a phrase he said, God highlighted and really drove home this point. He was telling a story where God moved him and his wife from their home to another state. He was good friends with a man and was on a first name basis. When God moved him, He positioned this friend as his new Pastor and the man went from calling his friend by his first name to calling him Pastor. God said, “Whatever you call him, you summon on their life.” He went on to demonstrate the point using a Judge, that you call them Judge because you believe that when given the evidence they will pronounce a judgement in your favor on your life.
I believe that God was showing me that whatever we call people in our lives, is what we will receive from them. There are people that are in our lives that we show honor and respect to, or maybe we should and we don’t. If we want to receive all that we can from the positions we are in our lives, then we need to be calling on people, places, anointing, and positions properly, to receive all God has for us.
My wife and I enjoyed a popular time period drama involving the British monarchy, I am sure you can guess what it was. The thing about the show is that they have a certain amount of respect and expectation of what you called people. Lord, Lady, your Grace, your Majesty, even amongst the servants there were levels of expected respect and position. We have lost a lot of this in America today, with lack of respect for authority and position, especially our highest position the Presidency (on both sides). I have seen profanities before the current and former President’s names that in other European countries of the not too distant past or some Asian or Middle Eastern countries today could be the cause for you to lose your life or lose your head.
When we think about what we want God to be in our lives, what level of respect, honor, reverence, and intimacy do we call on the name of God. The Trinity has many different names. For God, in the Old Testament, the list of Jireh’s was long. Jesus is called our Lord, Savior, Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, and more. The Holy Spirit has many names we should be aware of including, Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, Standby. Jesus also gave us a level of intimacy that we call God Abba, which is like calling Him Daddy, something that melts my heart when my children call me that.
When God showed me this phrase and highlighted the principal, I felt like He was showing me that we need the right tool for the job. I cannot tell you how many times I have been working on a project and I send my son to get me a screwdriver. The first thing, I am sure you know, that anyone asks when you tell them to grab you a screwdriver is: What Kind?! Right? Because, we all know that if you have a flathead screw and they bring you a phillips screwdriver, it won’t work. They will have to go back and get you the proper one to get the job done. I feel like many times I am in a specific situation with God and He is saying what do you need, and I say I NEED YOU GOD! I should be asking for specifics. I should be summoning God to be my provider, healer, and ever present help in times of trouble. In discomfort, I should be summoning the Holy Spirit as my comforter. If I am in a difficult position with someone else, I need the Holy Spirit to be my intercessor, my advocate. If I am in trouble I need Jesus to be my deliverer, if I messed up, I need Him to restore me.
The other day I was working on my daughter’s bike, she got a flat tire, and I just counted, it took me: A socket, adjustable wrench, phillips screwdriver, a tire lever, a tire patch kit, and an air compressor to get the job done. I called on each tool to do something specific for me, to help me accomplish this task. I could not have done it if all I called on was a screwdriver. I needed each tool to fulfill its purpose, to help me complete a pretty simple task.
Think about the last test or trial you have been in, did you call on God specifically to be certain things for you in those tests. It’s not that God was not those things if you didn’t, but it might have been more difficult because you weren’t specifically asking and seeing results. I realize that many of my tests and trials I have gone through have SEEMED more difficult, mostly because I was not specific enough on what I was needing at that time from God. He is available and wanting to be our source for everything, but we must come boldly before the throne with our requests. As Christians, we have all called on Jesus to be our Savior, that is how we made it to this point, we looked at our Sin Debt, realized we were headed to hell, and we called on Jesus to save us. We need to approach every test, trial, and situation we face with the same clarity of need and fulfillment.
Father God, I pray right now that each and every one of us who comes boldly before your throne and calls on Your Name will receive what we need from you in this moment right now. I pray that you would bring to remembrance verses and names of who you are and what is available to us when we call on your name. You are Almighty God, defender, protector, healer, comforter, savior, friend, Father, ever present help in our time of need. May we call upon you in new ways and receive the grace you have for us to overcome everything we face in this life. I pray for new intimacy for those who are beginning to know you on another level in Jesus Name, Amen.
Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.” Psalm 50:15 (NLT)
As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on Him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved Romans 10:11-13 (NLT)
Because He turned his ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live. Psalm 116:2 (NIV)
But I will call on God, and the Lord will rescue me. Psalm 55:16 (NLT)
But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you. John 14:26 (AMPC)
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)
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