Tag: calls to me

10.o. “I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.”

Jonah 2:1  Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!” And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

Psalms 50:15    and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Psalms 91:15    When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

Isaiah 26:16     O LORD, in distress they sought you; they poured out a whispered prayer when your discipline was upon them.

James 5:13    Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.

Hosea 6:1-3    “Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.  After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.  Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

Hosea 5:15     I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.

Idle ineffectiveness for eternal things has a way of gaining our attention on our own comfort, enjoyment, self-worth, self-reliance, and self-satisfaction.  Troubles, trials, and distress in our lives, on the other hand, have a way of resetting out wayward inner self-reliant beliefs.  Well, that is true for some.  Others harden their hearts and will not even give God a second glance for help.  For those who are humbled and realize their only hope in the situation is from the Mighty Hand Of God, and when they call out to Him, their prayer will be answered and they will be rescued and delivered.  Why is it so hard t repent and turn back to God?  Why do we choose to neglect His word and applying it in our lives?  Are we not blessed and find joy, hope, rest, peace, and strength when we are always desiring and seeking to be nearer to Him?  And yet, we seem to find time after time neglect and complacency creep in.  I can tell you this with 100% assurance when God’s Word is not hungered and thirsted for our natural default is neglect, complacency, and worldly contentment.  Spend time in His Word and intentionally choose to grow closer and closer to Him.

9.e. “When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”

Joel 1:19  To you, O Lord, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field. Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Psalms 50:15    and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Psalms 91:15   When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

Micah 7:7    But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Habakkuk 3:17-18     Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,  yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

Luke 18:1     And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart

Luke 18:7   And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?

Philippians 4:6-7     do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The people of Judah are going through trouble, granted it is a consequence of their unrepentant hearts, but they are truly going through something terrible.  We go through trials and troubles.  Some of these are a result of the consequences of our doing and others because of the consequences of others.  These all are known by God.  There is no surprise to God and all of these trials and troubles should bring us humbly before God, calling on His name, expect deliverance, and glorify Him.  What really happens and how do we react in times of trials and troubles?  Do we run to Jesus Christ first or to something / somewhere else? Are you able to say in the midst of trials and troubles “yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation?”  When things are going well are we rejoicing and glorifying Jesus?  Or are we just living in the moment of the ease of life, not giving much thought or care to live humble serving, following, trusting, and obeying Jesus Christ?  Do we need trials and troubles to bring us back to Jesus Christ?  Do we need trials and troubles to reset our focus on what is truly important in life this side of eternity?  Think about it.  Do we seek and desire Jesus Christ’s influence and leading in our life more when things are going well or when things are upended?  We do well to set Jesus Christ first in all things and at all times.

Your Dwelling Place

Psalms 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most Highwill abide in the shadow of the Almighty.I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,my God, in whom I trust.”For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowlerand from the deadly pestilence.He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

It is always good to be  reminded of peace and rest found in God.  This Psalm encourages me to stay on course and cling to, rely on and trust in God.  Spurgeon has great thoughts on this Psalm.

“Every child of God looks towards the inner sanctuary and the mercy-seat, yet all do not dwell in the most holy place; they run to it at times, and enjoy occasional approaches, but they do not habitually reside in the mysterious presence.”

We must walk very close to a companion, if we would have his shadow fall on us.

Men proclaim their doubts, and even to boast of them, who glory in casting suspicion upon everything;  it becomes the duty of all true believers to speak out and testify with calm courage to their own well-grounded reliance upon their God.”

“We are foolish and weak as poor little birds, and are very apt to be lured to our destruction by cunning foes, but if we dwell near to God, he will see to it that the most skilfull deceiver shall not entrap us.”

“It is impossible that any ill should happen to the man who is beloved of the Lord; the most crushing calamities can only shorten his journey and hasten him to his reward. Ill to him is no ill, but only good in a mysterious form. Losses enrich him, sickness is his medicine, reproach is his honour, death is his gain. No evil in the strict sense of the word can happen to him, for everything is overruled for good.”

“How angels thus keep us we cannot tell. Whether they repel demons, counteract spiritual plots, or even ward off the subtler physical forces of disease, we do not know. Perhaps we shall one day stand amazed at the multiplied services which the unseen bands have rendered to us.”

“They are blessings that some believers miss out on, simply because they are always fretting and do not trust God as they should. Here the psalmist quotes God as saying that the blessings are for those who love God and acknowledge his name (v. 14), call upon him (v. 15), and seek satisfaction in what he alone can provide.” (Boice)

Draw near to God

“When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”

“ Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

“ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Psalms 69:10  When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me. But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.

Psalms 55:16  But I call to God, and the LORD will save me.  Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.

Matthew 26:38  And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”  Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”

Daniel 3:15  Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Isaiah 26:3  You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.  Trust in the LORD forever

Isaiah 12:2     “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Acts 20:24    But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

These scriptures capture the heart of man who trusts in God.  Note these specifically: “At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me” – “If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden” – “nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” – ” your will be done.”  Waiting for and trusting in God fully gives us courage and confidence for whatever is before us.  Having a heart desire to be close and walk close to God has an effect on what we think say and do.  He gave us scriptures to teach us, lead us, build us up, give us hope, reminding us of His promises, power, might  and love.  Desire to be near Him and from this foundation all else finds stability and we can face whatever comes our way today.