“I sought the Lord [on the authority of His word], and He answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant; their faces will never blush in shame or confusion. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles.” (Psalm 34:4-6 The Amplified Bible)
There is one voicemail message that leaves me baffled, busting with annoyance, and as far as believing the person who I called, not pointing at anybody in particular, will answer me. I do not leave my message, confident that I will get a timely response. As you may have already guessed the voicemail to which I am referring, based on the title above. Let me complete the sentence so you will definitely, clearly know the specific voicemail message to which I am referring. “You have reached ____________, please leave a message and I will get back to you at my earliest convenience.”
What a clever voicemail! Cudos to the person who initially created it! How cunning! Why so? Because of the words, “At my earliest convenience.” Let me translate what that may mean. It may truthfully mean, “I will call you as soon as I get a break today.” Oddly enough, it might mean, “When I finally check my messages, I will call you when I can, if I remember to do so.” It can mean, “Don’t expect me to respond in a timely manner, I’ll just wait until you call back. You will if it is that important.” And then it might hinge on those infamous, indefinite words, that get lost in infinity, “my convenience.” In the case of the latter translation, “my convenience” could be the same day, sometime in the current week, or some future time when the person you called just does not have anything else to do.
Let’s get real, get down to it. Let’s make it relevant to the times we call on the Lord. Even though I have been taught since childhood that God answers prayers, and the answer is either “No,” “Yes,” or “Not Yet,” I have confidence that my call to the throne of God was heard, and if I ask according to His will, I can rest assured He not only heard me, but will respond to me in a timely manner. And if He does not respond when I want Him to, I am still confident that He heard my cry and that He will answer me when I dial Him up on the mainline and tell Him what I want, and the answer will be right on time.
With God, as I pray according to His will, I never come away baffled, busting with annoyance, and not believing that I will ever get an answer. Praise God that we can come boldly to His throne. Praise God for He is gracious, merciful! Praise God that even though He can respond when it is convenient as determined accurately by His sovereignty, His response lines up with His purpose for us. Therefore, we can get off our knees or lift up our bowed heads knowing for sure that God will answer our call. Keep praying, my friend. Be blessed!
“My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours.” (I John 5:15-16 The Message Bible)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King