September 16, 2010
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"Call to Me and I will answer you" (thoughts on holy ambition)
"Call to me and I will answer you,
and will tell you great and hidden things
that you have not known."
(Jeremiah 33:3)Is this the reason so many Christians have
no great understanding of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom,
no great understanding of His vision for their lives,no great understanding of His vision for the nationsno holy ambitionbecause they fail to call to the LORD?Is this the reason so many Christians have
no great vision of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom,
no great vision for their lives,
no great vision for the worldno holy ambitionbecause they fail to call to the LORD?
When was the last time you called to the LORD?
Have you ever asked Him to give you a holy ambition?When you call to the LORD
do you really expect Him to tell you great and hidden things?Or perhaps you don't make a habit of calling to the LORDbecause you think you already know everything.When was the last time you called to the LORD?When was the last time you wrestled with God like Jacob?
Genesis 32:24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.Do you continue to wrestle with God in prayer and in His Word?
Not a wishy-washy prayer, double-minded, quickie, one-time prayer,but day and night importunate prayer.Not a 5-minute devotional or an hour on Sunday,but a continuing, ongoing communion with Him,an abiding, day and night meditation on Him and His Word.Do you continue to call to God,do you continue to wrestle with God in prayer and in His Word,approaching His throne of grace through the blood of Jesus with a holy boldness,“I will not let You go unless you bless me.”
"Show me great and hidden things that I have not known."Do you have all the blessings you need to fulfill the calling Jesus Christ has for your life?
Do you have all the knowledge you need to fulfill the calling Jesus Christ has for your life?Do we not all have need of continuing grace and knowledge to walk in the works God has ordained for us each day?
Where else can can we get that grace and knowledge except by calling to and wrestling with the the Lord daily?
Will you take time to call to Him and to wrestle with Him today?
II Peter 3:18: But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.It is to His glory and for our joy and the joy of the nations that we keep growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
May God be gracious to us and give us voices to call to Him, strength to wrestle with Him, ears to hear His voice and hearts to obey His voice.
Related posts . . .On holy ambition:
- adopting God's purpose for the nations is for your joy & His glory (Letter 76 on joy)
- Are You Working on the Wall? (redemption, spiritual gifts, the glory of God, joy & holy ambition)
- Are you robbing God? Where is God telling you to "Rise and go!" for the joy of others?
- Resurrection Day: Don't Waste Your Life (Lecrae) | Whose Life is it anyhow?
- a little child shall lead them in life and in death
- Father, don't let me waste my life
- "I make it my aim" - a short study
- Bible Reading Plan: I Samuel, part 2: Whose Voice Are We Hearing?
On seeking God's fullness:
- Why not pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
- Naphtali News: God speaking to me about my failures & the one thing needful (a post on the Holy Spirit)
- update w/ excerpt: Lloyd-Jones' sermons on the role of experience in Christianity
- Blessed be our God who draws water for us until we finish drinking (Genesis 24)
- "give me also springs of water" - Will you be an Achsah? (letter 66 on assurance & fighting for joy)
On time with God:Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Comments (14)
I might have known that your post would be dealing with the things God is speaking to me about.
When it comes to revival, yes, I have been speaking to the Lord about that. I want Him to pour out His Spirit on us - beginning with me.
Good thoughts. I used to be really ambitious about what I was going to do for God, but that ambition came from a place other than love relationship with Him. Now I just want to love Him. Whatever things come from that are the things I want to do.
I just talked about Jer. 33:3 last night, I said it is known as God's telephone number.
Very good thoughts. Reminds me of the beginning of Torrey's How to Pray-- "Neglect of prayer; you have not because you ask not."
Jeremiah 33:3 has always been both a favorite verse and a verse that intrigues me. The idea of "great and hidden things" is so interesting to me... maybe it appeals to that Nancy Drew lovin' side of me. Mysterious and awesome is our God, eh? The best part is that he wants to share his mysteries with us! US! So cool...
@quest4god@revelife - I was struggling w/ some things (felt somewhat uncertain about some things), I cried out to Him and He answered. It's really ridiculous of us not to ask Him, yet how often do we ask others, stew about these things ourselves, or look in books, etc., rather than going directly to God through His Word and calling out to Him in prayer.
You know that I am in full agreement w/ your prayer/desire for revival, beginning w/ myself.
Psalms 80:7: Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved!
(Well, the whole Psalm is good!)
@Pickwick12 - Amen. Amy, I love that! When we're constrained by Christ's love and we're coming to know the extent of His love more and more, that holy ambition will become clearer and clearer to us and be a delight to us.
Isaiah 26:1-4,
Karen
@strype53 - Good mnemonic.
What a reminder to call to Him first! I forget who it was now who said that so often we go to the phone first instead of going to the throne.
What concepts/thoughts did you include in your teaching on the verse?
@Pass_the_Aura - A Torrey reference.
Good company. Thanks much. I did read that book a couple years ago now.
As I said in my comment to @quest4god@revelifeabove, I was in need and asked God, and then the answer came pretty matter of factly through the Scripture.
Consider what might happen in our churches and in the world if all believers would humble ourselves and call out to Him as soon as we saw our need...
@Masked_Melody - Yes! Isn't it amazing and humbling that God does want to share those things w/ us? If only we would ask and keep asking, e.g. - to be like the importunate woman (Luke 18).
@naphtali_deer - Indeed! It's amazing how God can make us feel both incredibly special (like a favorite) and humbled all at once. Ah. Just way cool!
@naphtali_deer - I was going through a study called Paul Timothy with one of our youth and we were talking about Prayer. This is the memory verse for this studies week three. The study says that it is known as God's telephone number. This helps remember that the verse starts off with the word call. On a side note, I do not know if you are a U2 fan or not but their album cover for their Album All That You Can't Leave Behind shows them in the airport. They are standing under a sign that has Jer 33:3 written on it. You can see it here:
http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc359/mcve666/U2_-_All_That_You_Cant_Leave_Behind.jpg
@Masked_Melody - Yes. Way cool! His favorites.
We can approach Mt. Zion w/ boldness & assurance through Christ's body and blood and yet we're to serve God w/ reverence & godly fear b/c He is a consuming fire (Heb. 10, 12).
Have been thinking of Charles Wesley's "And Can It Be" tonight...
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
@strype53 - So wonderful you have the opportunity to teach young people like that.
I'm not really a U2 fan, but I am familiar w/ some of their music; I didn't remember seeing that album cover, however (but I don't remember a lot these days
)