Every once in a while, when I am writing, an idea comes to me that I think..” uh oh, not everyone will get this reference.” But some things fit so well; I have to carry on. Today as I was reading Psalm 91 and meditating on the above verses, I couldn’t help but think of how much making calls has changed just in my lifetime. I’m old enough to remember my grandmother had a party line, which meant a few folks shared a line, and some folks had to get off the phone so someone else could place a call. I laughed out loud at my desk, thinking what the answer might be if I quizzed a younger generation about the definition of what a party line is. Then there was a variety of long-distance options, like station to station, which was less expensive than person to person. However, if a person picked up was not who you wanted to chat with, you were charged anyway.
In our family, placing a person-to-person call was the call of choice. Though more expensive, it was operator-assisted, and if your party wasn’t available…no charge. My Dad’s wallet loved this!. He loved it so much that we used this technique when traveling from Tennessee’s home to our home back in Detroit. Dad would place a person-to-person call to himself when we arrived home safely. My grandmother would pick up and tell the operator my Dad wasn’t there. This way, my grandparents knew we arrived home safely, and no long-distance charges were incurred because no connection was officially made. Oh, the good old days, right? I have lost track of all the times I have had to ask for forgiveness after losing my temper and curtly telling a prerecorded voice, “I want to talk to a REAL person!”.
Ironically, even telemarketer calls inform us “this call may be recorded for quality assurance or training purposes.” And it’s a prerecorded voice that tells us this!. By now, all of us are schooled in selecting the keypad number that best suits our needs as we wade through the impersonal robot instructions associated with most of the business we have to do. I like to call it the electronic fortress. I know it serves a purpose, but good relationships with consumers aren’t one of them.
That is the amazing thing about my relationship with God. The relationship is His top priority. In a world that is putting distance by the minute between folks in various ways, God remains personal. Since the beginning of creation, He has been a communicator. He said to the trinity in creation as recorded in Genesis 1:26′ Let us make human beings in our image and make them reflecting our nature”. (MSG) God made all of us in a person-to-person manner and then sat back and said, “This is very good.” Up until then, God had commented that creation was good. Now that He had brought forth someone to relate to, converse with, share with, and commune with, God’s pleasure with our existence on this planet blessed us with the gift of life and blessed Himself. Not out of need, but of desire. God’s great love for fellowship spilled over out of His hands into the clay forming a man and then poured out of His mouth, the breath of life into that artistic work of clay, and man came to life! Relatable, personable, loveable, and a communicator. This was as God pronounced very good!
When I read of God’s promises through the Psalmist pen, I am overcome with love when God says..”Because this person loves me ….He will call on me, and I will answer him. (Psalm 91 14-15 NIV). I don’t have to ask, “Lord can you hear me now? How about now? Can you hear me now?” He hears. And God promises to move past being just a source of silence where I can pour out my heart. He states He will answer me. This makes me think of person-to-person calls my Dad used to place long-distance. Though I don’t know the exact mileage to heaven, I think it is not exactly around the corner from my house. However, when I call on God, He doesn’t reside behind some cosmic fortress where I am made to feel less valued or isolated. I don’t picture a foggy room where angels are seated at a giant switchboard placing folks on hold or triaging calls. God is in the answer business, period. Why? Because He says so! Even if He says no, or not yet, He answers! There are over 100 verses in the bible about God answering prayer.
Of course, there is always the challenge that we struggle with our ability and availability to listen when He speaks despite God’s ability to answer. Have there been times God has spoken to me audibly? Yes, a few times in sleep, He has called my name. Some might say this is dreaming, but not for me., I have come to understand that this is when my active mind and busy spirit are at rest, and God uses this time to communicate with me simply because I am more open. I keep paper and pen by my bed to write down what He has said. I do this because the light of morning will often dim my enthusiasm and resurrect my small intellect enough to reason away why it probably wasn’t the Lord placing a call. But these events have been few, and if they have occurred, they are followed by other things I depend on to confirm God’s voice. First, I trust the Holy Spirit living inside me that reassures me “That my sheep hear my voice and know me” Second, God has a way of always speaking through His word. I rely on this, for I liken it to God’s internet. It is always on, always connected, and His source to respond to my “searches” is not only fruitful but truthful. Next, I examine whether my desires shift toward what I may be calling on God to help me with or guide me to.
Lastly, occasionally, the Lord will invite a third party, another person, into my conversation with Him and may speak through them. When this occurs, mostly the other person is unaware. I am incredibly cautious and proceed slowly when another person informs me that God placed a person-to-person call to them and gave them a message for me. I am not saying it is impossible, but I like what Henry Blackaby says in his “Experiencing God” book. Look for patterns in your life and keep track of how and when God speaks. This has not been a consistent pattern in my life, but when God has used others who are in fellowship with Him to speak to me, it has been poignant, and God always confirms it through other sources.
I like that this Psalm assures me that when I call on God, He will answer in times of trouble. But I know in my heart, God wants to hear from me all the time., not just when I need HIm. I have a few “friends” that the only time I hear from them is when they need something. While I love them and am glad to help (mostly), I treasure the call from a person who says, “Hey! just thinking of you, just checking in, what’s happening?” I turn emotional flips when my kids call or text to make me laugh or tell me they love me. I have a friend who doesn’t call or like to talk on the phone. But she sends me videos, emojis, photos, cartoons, etc. While I am a voice girl, I have learned this is her love language. She is a person-to-person soul at heart. So is the Lord! He wants to hear about what has made me laugh or how beautiful I thought the sunrise was. He delights in my discoveries and listens sympathetically to my disappointments. God likes that I recognize His voice in the waves at the beach or that I hear His whisper in the wind in the trees in my backyard. He stays calm when I complain angrily about Him not being there for me and forgives me for my faithless doubting accusations. God remains connected in the conversation with me until the storm is over and tears of resolution and surrender come, and I weakly and humbly ask? “Lord, are you still there? Quietly and peacefully, He answers,” I’m here, Sharon, I’m still here.”
Thank you, Lord, that you are always ready for a person-to-person dialogue with me. I thank you that you are not a corporate God, impersonal and just focused on the world of the religion of must and do and should. I thank you that your team consists of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and that you all share the same mind and information when it comes to me and my life. Thank you that you promise to answer me in times of trouble but that you want to talk to me and with me just because you love me. Please help me to follow your example. Lord, help me call home more often.
Come back to the vineyard as the 5 o’clock worker finishes her labor in the “The Psalm for the Season” series and celebrates the promise of blessing in Psalm 91.
5oclockworker.com 