Then you will call on me - 18 June 2008

We have seen that God has planned good things for us. How should we respond?

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” Jeremiah 29:11-14

Jesus has promised that he will be with us always. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit connecting us to God; yet so often we try to go it alone. For God’s plans for us to bear fruit we have to engage with God and not ignore him. When we call upon him and come and pray to him, he will listen to us. Conversely, if we don’t call upon God and don’t pray to God, he won’t!

All too often we go it alone and only turn to God when we have stumbled or gone wrong or messed up in some way. We need to turn to God, call upon his name and pray as the first thing that we do, not the last. The more that we connect with God and live with his strength and power behind us then the better the chance of those plans that he has for our benefit being realised.

Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” Mark 11:24

With such a promise, why do we not pray more than we do?

Take time today to reflect on your prayer life and consider ways in which you can call upon God and involve him more in the life that you lead.

Father, teach us how to get you into our lives more and more.

Amen