Just Give God A Call
“Ask me and I will tell you some remarkable secrets about what is going to happen here.”
-- Jeremiah 33:3
A dear friend posted this message on facebook: God’s phone number is Jeremiah 33:3. I wonder how many of us had to look up that Scripture right then? It was such a wonderful reminder that the answers we seek are easily available if we will only take time to listen.
We live in an instant world. No surprises there. But we also live in a selfish world, where we tend to put our own needs or the needs of those we care about before everything and everyone else. Sometimes that is natural and good. Sometimes it is selfish and cruel.
We want what we want when we want it. God doesn’t work that way. So we grow frustrated when He doesn’t instantly give us what we want. Sort of like spoiled children. We have a little fit and launch our very own pity party.
One woman is frustrated that her illness won’t just go away. She expects a miracle cure or, at least, a little pill that makes it seem like her illness doesn’t exist. Unfortunately, she does have an illness and the medicine that takes care of that comes with side effects. And she’s really unhappy.
Especially with God. Oh, her family and doctors get their negative comments too. But she can’t understand why God won’t cure her when she has asked him to. So she’s given up. There’s just no point in trying if she can’t get exactly what she wants.
Contrast that with another woman who lives with tremendous pain each and every day. There’s nothing the doctors can do but try and ease her discomfort. She refuses to sit down and feel sorry for herself. She pushes ahead, caring for friends and family. She volunteers at a camp for abused children. She’s involved in her community. She’s happy and filled with laughter. She refuses to let her pain control her life.
And she praises God for her life. She’s faithful in all she does to give Him glory. She does all she can to live as He has called her to live.
The differences between the two women are startling even as they are similar. Their attitudes set them apart. One woman is grounded in her deep faith and trust in her Lord and Savior. The other women relies on shallow faith that shifts like the wind and is dependent on whether or not she gets her own way.
I have no idea what the future holds. None of us do. But we do have a God who loves and cares for us. We have a Heavenly Father who is right there, willing to talk with us and tell us all we want to know. But we have to be willing to listen and to understand that sometimes His answer is no.
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