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“When I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me the strength I need.” Psalm 138:3 NLT 

Have you ever been in love? Have you ever suddenly realized that that someone in your life is really special and you couldn’t wait to hear from them? Have you ever experienced the breathless anticipation of waiting for that phone to ring or checking your email one more time? Remember how your heart skipped a beat when you saw the number on your caller ID and answered the phone only to hear that special voice? Or when you glanced at your list of emails and saw one from that special someone and a big smile came to your face? 

That’s how God feels when we call Him. Remember in Isaiah 40:26 it tells us, “Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” If He knows all of the stars, won’t He know your name and your voice when you call? Just imagine the wide grin that spreads across His face at the sound of your voice in His ear. 

He waits by that “phone” longing to hear your voice. You are His loved one, His precious one, His Bride. His Hand hovers over the receiver, waiting for the ring of your prayer so that He can answer and fellowship with you. His Word shows us again and again how He answers the call of those whom He loves. In 2 Samuel 22:7 it says, “… I called to GOD, to my God I cried out. From His palace He heard me call; my cry brought me right into his presence––a private audience!” (MSG) Incredible, a private audience because of our call! A private audience with the God of the universe, the Creator of all we know, and all we don’t know, a time only between Him and you, behind closed doors. 

He loves to hear your voice and yearns to hear the cries of your heart so He can answer them. You can “call” Him at any moment and know that He will answer. He has no answering machine, no answering service to take a message. There is no one in between you and He, so you can call any time. You don’t use formal words when you talk to your mom or best friend, so there is no need to use them with Him. You can “call” Him at any instant to say “Thank You, I appreciate You, You are awesome! You are Wondrous!” Or you can “call” Him to say, “Help! I’m confused! What do You want me to do here? I need an answer! I need strength, healing, hope…” And He lovingly provides all of those things for us. 

Throughout His Word, He reassures us that He will answer our call. He shows us over and over how He responded to the call of the people of Israel. One such example is found in Psalm 81:7, “In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah” He rescued His people when they called out to Him, and He rescues you and me, giving us answers when we ask. 

How do we answer when God calls out to us? Do we “pick up that phone” (read His Word) in breathless anticipation of hearing His Voice? Do we look forward to hearing Him speak to us so we can learn more of who He is and what He wants? John’s Gospel tells us, “The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”  

In the Greek “to call” means to “call aloud, to invite, to call by name, to salute one by name.” Think of that, He calls you by your name—John, Rosabeth, Haylee, Dan—whatever your name, He calls you individually. Now how do you respond? When I call my beloved dog, DaisyMae, she runs to me. Her tail wags, and she jumps up in excitement! She is anticipating what I have called her for, even though she doesn’t know what it is! Do we respond to God like that? Do we wait breathlessly to hear what He has to say? Do we run when He calls with excitement, even when we don’t know exactly what He has called us for?  

I must confess I do. Sometimes I feel like an anxious, bouncy puppy. Eagerly I wait and say, “What do You want me to do? What have You got for me? What’s happening? Tell me! Tell me!” Sounds silly but that is how I feel sometimes when I go into prayer, I am so excited to hear what He has to tell me. I love it when He calls me, and I know I am called. Romans tells me that I “have been called according to His purpose.” I Peter says that we are chosen, part of a royal priesthood and a holy nation belonging to God. This is so we can declare the praises of Him who “called” us “out of darkness into His wonderful light (I Peter 2:9).  

Loving His “call” and “calling Him back” is an essential part of being His special someone, His precious Bride. Does your heart leap with love when He calls? Do you blush with joy when He calls your name? Do you know that you are called out of darkness? I hope so, I truly do. Sometimes in the vastness of humanity and the earth, we can feel as though we are a nameless, faceless part of the crowd. But not to Him, not to the Shepherd who lovingly calls us. You and I are called by name.  

Don’t forget to pick up the phone and call Him sometime. 

Copyright 2004 by Desirée Marrion

Desirée Marrion is a member of Portland Eastside Foursquare Church. She is a single mom, a grandmother, and an administrative assistant at a medical research facility. You may reach her at: marrion8955@yahoo.com