CALL TO ME

 

READ:  Jeremiah 33:1-3

 

          “When they call to me, I will answer them;

                   I will be with them in trouble,

                   I will rescue them and honor them.”  Psalm 91:15 (NRSV)

 

          Jeremiah was in prison when he received this communiqué  from 

 

God.  Almost as interesting as what was said was what was not said,

 

there was no promise of eminent release!!   Just a promise he would answer

 

if called.

 

          Many of us when we are in our self-constructed prisons feel isolated

 

and find ourselves despairing of our situation.   Whatever the

 

circumstances leading to our incarceration whether it was through sins

 

of omission or commission,  this is the time our attention often turns

 

to God.  Usually through a form of a plea, “Get me out of this situation!”

 

Sometimes we will even try to bargain for our freedom,  “If you do this

 

Lord, I will _____.”  Occasionally, we will even provide him with detailed

 

instructions for our deliverance!

 

          Seldom do we consider that the imprisonment is exactly what God

 

desires for us.  He has our attention and presents a great opportunity

 

for communing with us.  God is always more interested in establishing a

 

relationship with us than delivering us from our situation.  The potential

lessons that we are to learn through our captivity are considerably more

 

valuable for our spiritual growth than any miraculous deliverance from

 

our suffering or problems.