“Call unto Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you know not.”
Jeremiah 33:3
It’s a simple act that requires simple trust.
“Call unto Me.”
Picture yourself stranded on a desert island or shipwrecked at sea. At first, your dire straits leave you filled with fear and frantic for someone to rescue you. Onshore, you begin gathering driftwood and carefully spell out the letters “SOS” on the shore. Adrift, you begin scanning the horizon in search for a ship that might be passing by.
But, the hours pass and no plane or ship.
The hours become days. The days become weeks. The weeks become months. And, the months become years.
Still no plane overhead and no ship anywhere in sight.
Slowly, ever so slowly, your hopes begin to dim. You still give an occasional glance upward or outward (just in case). But, you’ve pretty much resigned yourself that the possibility of your rescue grows slimmer with each passing day. And, your cries for help have long-since ceased as you wait for the “inevitable:” Starvation, drowning or shark attack.
Today’s Manna was given by God during perilous times in Jeremiah’s ministry and Judah’s history. For more than 40 years the “weeping prophet” had tried to call his hard-hearted and stiff-necked countrymen to repentance. And, for more than 40 years they’d turned a deaf ears to his cries and even persecuted him in the process.
That’s why he felt “deceived by God while in derision daily” (Jer. 20:7).
And, that’s why he was ready to quit preaching and never do it again (20:9a).
Such is always the case when our prayers seem unanswered and our “calls unto Him” seemingly go unheard and unheeded.
But, do not lose hope, dear Pilgrim.
Our God is faithful (I Cor. 10:13) and will answer our prayers in His own time and way. By faith we must stay on prayer’s “firing line” and keep “calling unto Him, knowing He will answer us and show us great (Heb. ‘gadowl’—‘exceeding, high, noble, excellent, etc.’) and mighty (Heb. ‘batsar’—‘to gather grapes, inaccessible by height or fortification, fenced, strong wall, etc.’) things which we know not.”
Does this mean tomorrow or the next day He’ll come galloping over the horizon like the cavalry to the rescue with our answered-prayers in tow just as we prayed them? No, it doesn’t mean that at all. It does mean our “all-seeing God” knows our needs and hears our cry when we “call unto Him.” And, He will answer us. . .not necessarily exactly as we expected. . .by revealing more of Himself to us and showing us our requests were likely not for our eternal good and His Glory (Rom. 8:28). But, keep “calling unto Him,” Pilgrim. Today’s Manna is for you. Your answer may be just over the horizon (I Kings 19:41-46)—and it’ll be just what you need.
By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated January 4, 2010