It is hard to for me to think Christian thoughts when I deal with cellular services. It seems our house has a little block over it and our reception goes through spurts where it is awful. I will call someone and they will say, "hello, hello?" Then the call will drop. Or in the middle of a conversation they will get real quiet and I will look at the phone and see "call fail". I will go from the kitchen, den, living room and sometimes to the porch, saying, "can you hear me now, can you hear me now?" It is so frustrating. It sure is good to know we do not have to count on cellular service to reach God!
God hears us any time we call him. God hears us from any location - the middle of the ocean, the most remote places or the moon - he is accessible! He is always, always, always there! Just waiting for us to call Him! One of my pet peeves is when someone says, "you pray, you have a direct line to God". So do you! We all do! Jeremiah 29: 12, "Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." Jeremiah 33: 3, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."
There are going to be times in our life that we are desperate for a way out of something. We will have no choice but to call to to God. This should be our first thought when things are tough. Psalm 18: 6, "In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears." David called on the Lord to encourage himself. When the men who fought battles with David were kidnapped, the camp burned down and then men were talking about stoning David - he called out to the Lord. 1 Samuel 30: 6, "David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God." We must go to God for strength during our tough times. We must believe that God is able to do all things in order to help us. When we continually seek a relationship with God and obey His word He will help us! He will hear our cries!
Not only does God hear our cries from the lowest valley's, He hears our praises from the highest mountains! We should always praise God for the wonderful things He has done for us. There is always, always, always something to be thankful for! Psalm 34: 1, "I will extol the Lord at all times;" Psalm 71: 8, "My mouth is filled with your praise,..." Psalm 118: 28-29, "You
are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. declaring your splendor all day long. his praise will always be on my lips." We should praise God for His mercy, Salvation, and all of our spiritual blessings.
When we realize that all good things come from God we want to praise Him just for being God! We must praise Him for being our Creator and our Lord. Psalm 100: 3-4, "Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."
Just like any other relationship that matters we must make an effort to find the time and energy to connect with God on a regular basis. Schedule time if you have to - we do that with friends! Try to be consistent! Commit to faith! Listen. You would never do all the talking and not let your loved one or friend speak. (Not on a regular basis, anyway!) Be still and listen. Psalm 46: 10, "He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;..." Sit silently in God's presence, inviting Him to speak to you. but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
Pray Scripture back to God. This is a great way to memorize Scripture. Pour your heart out to God. Be honest - He already knows what you are thinking anyway. Psalm 62: 8, "Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Trust Him to handle everything - even the big stuff! Believe that God can do anything! Matthew 19: 26, "Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Lastly, we must delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night! Psalm 1: 2-3,
"...but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers." We will be like trees planted by the rivers, bearing fruit and will prosper in the Christian life!
How do you respond to God in difficult times?