"CALLING UPON THE LORD" PSALM 145:14-18
Have you ever thought about what is actually taking place when you call on the Lord? And let me say that if our prayers are not in The Lord Jesus name, then they’ll not get any farther than the ceiling. Col. 3: 17And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Listen as I read today’s text found in
Ps.145: 14-18 14The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.15The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.
16Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
17The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
18The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Listen to verse again Ps. 145:18 “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” This is the key in having the LORD hear our prayer.
The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Do we do this? God wants us to fellowship with Him. He wants us to share everything in our lives with Him. He wants us to talk to Him just as we do to our spose. Prayer is a must in order to be an effective Christian in this evil world. We cannot live this life in our on strength. God wants us to rely on Him and the power that He provides through the Holy Spirit.
He is the Lord God, the Holy One.
Isaiah 43:
3: For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
14: Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.
15: I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.
* This should both humble us and give us great confidence, to think that the Holy God of Israel, the Creator, Savior and King, loves us so much that He provided a way for us to become His children, and as His children, we can call Him Father.
He gave His Son to die in our place and pay the price for our sins, so we wouldn’t have to die the second death which is eternal hell.
To call upon the Lord is to address or approach God with a specific request. It is a reverential act of summoning the aid of the Lord God Almighty. God wants us to call upon His name.
Just what is it that the Lord wants us to call upon him for?
~ We call upon the Lord for our material needs. ~
But brother brown God already knows what we need, why should we have to ask Him?
Matthew 6:8 …for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
He wants us to ask Him, so He can have the pleasure of providing for us, His children.
Hebrews 4:
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
God Almighty is our Heavenly Father and He delights in blessing His children, the devils children can’t call on Him for their needs until they first confess that their a lost sinner and asks God to forgive their sin and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord & Savior, then their also Gods children and can call Him Father.
Illustration:
When John F. Kennedy was president of the United States, he had a young son named John Kennedy Jr. better known as "John John".
"John John’s" relationship to JFK was different from all the great world leaders of that time. Many times John John would come into the Oval Office unannounced calling out to "Daddy", and yet presidents, premiers and even kings were only allowed in by special appointment.
Then, of course, they were expected to address JFK respectfully as "Mr. President". The president’s children had privileges that no others ever had.
Likewise, we are privileged to come to God’s throne anytime, day or night and call Him Father.
God wants us to continually come to Him and be specific about all our needs.
James 4:2 ---ye have not, because ye ask not. 3Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Matthew 7:7 8For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Philippians 4:19 “my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by
Christ Jesus.” Notice it says “our need”, not our wants.
We call upon the Lord for deliverance and shelter from trouble
Psalm 34:6 6This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
Psalm 50:15 15And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
Psalm 91:15 15He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
The source of our safety and security is the Lord God Almighty, there’s no threat, obstacle, or danger, no matter how great, that is stronger than God’s keeping power.
Psalm 55:16 16As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me
~~I read about a missionary named John Patton in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, and their intent was to burn out the Patton’s and kill them.
Patton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave.
A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Patton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them.
The chief replied in surprise, “Who were all those men with you there?” Patton knew no men were present—but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the mission station.~~
Psalm 86:7 7In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.
A poem~ God never would send you the darkness, If He felt you could bear the light; But you would not cling to His guiding hand If the way were always bright; And you would not care to walk by faith Could you always walk by sight. So He sends you the blinding darkness, And the furnace of sevenfold heat; ’Tis the only way, believe me, To keep you close to His feet; For ’tis always so easy to wander When our lives are glad and sweet. Then nestle your hand in your Father’s, And sing, if you can, as you go; Your song may cheer someone behind you Whose courage is sinking low.
We can also call upon the Lord for daily guidance and strength
James 1:5 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Psalm 32:8 8I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
God has promised to be our Guide. God knows where we are headed. And God offers to be with us on the journey.
Jeremiah 33:3 3Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things,
A man named John Oxenham said this, “Not for one single day, Can I discern my way, But this I surely know— He who gives the day, Will show the way, So I securely go.”
All men everywhere are invited to Call upon the Lord for eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:12-13 12For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
In order for men to be saved, men must call upon the name of the Lord. If you want salvation from condemnation, then you must call upon the name of the Lord. If you want freedom from God’s wrath, then you must call upon the name of the Lord.
The word call signifies “to make an appeal
For the believer, to call upon the name of the Lord is to confess our sins and to appeal to Him for mercy.
If you have not appealed to God for mercy, then there is still distance between you and God.
IV. Ask for His forgiveness and confess our sins. This is similar to asking for our daily needs when He already knows them.
Our forgiveness has already been provided at the cross 2,000 years ago. Every sin you have ever committed or will ever commit is already forgiven. This is not just for your past sins, but for present and future sins as well.
You see, all of our sins were in the future when Christ died for them. Though they are already forgiven, it gives Him pleasure for us to show our love for Him by confessing our sins to Him and thanking Him for His the forgiveness provided through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Let me say right here that our sins are forgiven, but that don’t give us a license to willfully sin, if we do, it will bring the chastening hand of our Heavenly Farther on us.
In calling upon the Lord for salvation, a person is acknowledging Christ as his Lord and Master, the only source of redemption.
Psalm 116:13 13I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
~We also can call upon the Lord for a renewed spirit.
Psalm 86:5 5For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Listen to this little illustration in this poem;
The boy walked along the ocean shore... trying not to stray. He looked up to his Father, saying, " Dad, I want to play." His Father looked towards him, love showing in his eyes. "Do what you want, my son... but do not leave my side." "I would never leave you dad, I love you far too much." But the boy took one step, away from his father’s touch. Walking through the surf, the waves tickled his toe. "If I take one more step... " he thought, Dad will never know."
His father then called out to him, "Son, remain true." But the boy thought with delight... "Hey, I don’t need you." Despite the feeling of sadness, his Dad held his tongue. Sometimes lessons need to be learned... even when so young.
The boy stepped out a little further... the water covered his waist. His Dad spoke with urgency... and called to him with haste. "My Son come back to me," he said, " The day is almost done." "Not yet, Dad," the boy replied, " I’m having too much fun!" But the Boy did not have his father’s sight... he could not yet tell... The Tide was coming in fast... There would be no time to yell. "Father!" he tried to scream, as the water covered his head. "I need you now daddy!" was what the boy said. And in a single instant his father was by his side. "I thought you left me daddy... I thought you went to hide." The Father looked down at his son... a tear streaming down his cheek. The Boy looked up at his father, while the tears fell to his feet. "I could never leave you son... my love will never change." "I was only waiting for you, to call upon my name."~~
Psalm 51:10-12 10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy Spirit from me. 12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit.
To sum it up, we should seek His will and always give Him the praise and glory for everything. He will always lead us in the way we should go, when we pray as He told us to.
