MOST IMPORTANT CALL –
| After King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem, he ransacked the treasuries of the LORD‘s Temple and the royal palace; he stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. But he did not install Jeroboam as king, and the people were gratefully relieved. So Asaph’s sons wanted to write a song to celebrate their deliverance and salvation from permanent tyranny. Since it was time for the Jewish New Year, everybody gathered at the temple to rejoice in the LORD, and give Him thanks for His grace and mercy. Before receiving the invitation they spent so much time calling out for His help that now they wanted to take time to call on Him and thank Him for the freedom He brought them. |
“Get loud and be happy as you sing songs to the One True God of all believers. Get even louder when the drums start to beat and the strings reach a crescendo, in response to the beautiful music being played. Let the trumpets announce, ‘It’s celebration time!’ This is what God expects from His people and what He asks us to do amidst people who do not speak our language. For He says, ‘I took away your burden and freed you from your cares, when you secretly cried out to Me from your heart. Yes, I answered you openly with power, after you passed the test of faith I required of you’.” Psalm 81:1-7
Reflection: A mother and father asked their son to follow this simple rule whenever he left the house to go visit a friend: As soon as you arrive, call us and let us know you arrived safely. On one visit the boy forgot to call. So when he got home his parents warned him that the next time it happened he’d be forced to return home immediately and be grounded for a week. Sure enough, on his next visit the telephone remained silent. So the father went to the phone to call the house where the boy had gone. As he dialed the number he asked God for wisdom, and the Holy Spirit spoke to his heart and said, “Treat him like I would treat you.” The phone at the other house rang once and the father quickly hung up. Seconds later the father’s phone rang, and when he answered he heard his boy exclaim, “I’m here, Dad! We started playing and I forgot to call. But as soon as I heard the phone ring I knew it was you and that’s why I’m calling back right away to let you know I’m okay.” No one should think that our heavenly Father just waits for a chance to punish us whenever we step out of line. Most likely, He’ll ring more than once as a signal for us to call Him back. The Psalmist knew that the people of Jerusalem stopped calling God back years earlier, even though God warned of punishment if they did not listen to His advice. So in a way the Psalmist is pleading with the people to take what was happening to them as God’s wake-up call. If a father with a human heart stands ready to understand his son’s mistake and forgive him for letting himself be distracted, and through such inattention lapse into disobedience, how much more will our heavenly Father, with a heart full of divine compassion be ready to forgive us. He may ask us to sit in the corner for a while and think about what we have done, but in the end He will wipe the slate clean when we acknowledge our error and ask His forgiveness. When was the last time you called your heavenly Father? He might be waiting to hear from you right now. So go ahead and call Him.
Down an Unfamiliar Road 