You Make the Call

 

COLERAINE INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2024 – REV DENIS LYLE

JEREMIAH 33

THE UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES OF PRAYER OR YOU MAKE THE CALL

Verse 3 “Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not”

When everything seems against us, and all hope is lost we begin to think we are utterly alone.  We have tried everything that we can think of and still we come up empty and yet it is precisely at such times we must prevail in prayer for great and mighty things.  Is that not what Jeremiah was commanded to do?  Here he was in the midst of a nation that had become totally apostate.  It had been raised up to be a testimony to God to all the nations of the earth but it had become as bad as the worst of them and now it had sinned beyond recall.  Such was the state of Judah.  All hope that she could be saved from the Babylonian invasion so clearly foreseen by Jeremiah was now lost.  The nations doom was sealed.  The best thing Judah could do was get the best terms from the Babylonians and submit to them.  Jeremiah wrote the decree down – there would be 70 years of captivity.  That was the great message of Jeremiah and he was hated for delivering it.  The Babylonians came, Judah was defeated, Jerusalem was taken, the temple and its treasures carried off by the robber.  Yet here was hope from God.  He had given to his people a promise.  This is regularly misquoted.  Given to Judah in the book of consolation – Jeremiah 29 verse 11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end.”  Given to Judah, to the southern kingdom of Israel.  These chapters of Jeremiah describe the dawning of a new day for the exiles in Babylon but also for the Jewish people in the last days before the Lord returns.  For when the Jewish people in the last days are finally purged of their sins they will come back to the Lord.  There is a future for the nation of Israel.  Look at Jeremiah’s circumstances - outside the city of Jerusalem is the Babylon army inside, disease, drought, death, famine.  Jeremiah is himself shut by the wicked king Zedekiah.  Seeking To stifle the prophet.  In the mist of all of this God says “call unto me and I will answer.”  Jeremiah y make the call.  A pastor would bring the kids down to the front of the church every Sunday morning to tell them a story and one day he brought in a telephone to illustrate prayer.  You talk to people who are invisible but they are on the other end of the line.  You can’t seem him but he is listening.  That is like talking to God.  A little boy piped up “what’s the Lord’s number”.  Prayer is a hotline to heaven.  When we pick up at our end of the line God also picks up at his line also.  In this statement there are 3 aspects of prayer.

Firstly, the asking side of prayer – supplication.  What is our part in the matter of prayer?  Does it involve a formula, is it only for Christians of many years standing.  Must we be in the prayer room for many years and be able to pray acceptably?  Simple definition of prayer – “call unto me.”  The creature calling on the creator.  The child coming unto the father.  Who?  The Lord who commands us to pray.  Do you see the authority.  In the Hebrew language this verb is in imperative God doesn’t ask us to pray he demands us to pray.  When you refuse to exercise prayer not just weakness its a wickedness, it is not a shame it is a sin.  “The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer it is unauthored prayer.”  Prayerlessness is sin.  Samuel said “God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.”  Here the Lord commands us to pray.  The authority.  The simplicity – “call unto me says the Lord.”  Prayer is calling upon God and asking for his gracious help.  When you pray you talk to the Lord directly.  You don’t talk to an angel, to a mechanical animated recorder, you talk to the living God.  Prayer is so simple.  We are apt to make it so complicated.  All you have to do is call on me.  The variety here. What area does prayer cover? What are the limits of prayer?  What should we be talking to God about?  God commanded Jeremiah to seek his face that he might fulfil his promises to his people Judah.  They are promises relating to the re-gathering, and the returning and the restoring of the nation of Israel.  God hasn’t finished with the nation of Israel.  He says to Jeremiah “Call unto me.”  Sure the dark clouds of judgment are coming personally, prophetically, presently but a new day will dawn when the Jewish people will not only return to the land but to the Lord. God says “Jeremiah call unto me.”  Do you bring the big things as well as the little things to the Lord in prayer?  Do you know when you are to talk to God?  Any time. Where are you to talk to God?  Any place.  What you are to talk to God about?  Anything.  Who – “the Lord who commands.”  The Lord who creates.  The Lord commands Jeremiah to pray then he backs it up with his creative power.  Verse 2 “the Lord is his name.”  That is a reminder of his omnipotence.  The Lord is able to do whatever to make his promise come true.  Chapter 32 verse 17, verses 26 and 27.  We are people today who have got difficulty with miracles.  If you believe in Genesis chapter 1 you are home free.  God made the whole thing.  He can do with it as he pleases.  The problem is not with God and his ability, it is with man and his unbelief.  No promise too hard for God to fulfil.  No prayer too hard for God to answer.   No problem too hard for God to solve.  No person too hard for God to save.  No place too hard for God to revive.  “Call unto me.”  Who - the Lord who commands it.  The Lord who creates.  The God who controls.  I know the thoughts that I think toward you saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”  Here’s a statement about prayer that is given in the midst of national problems.  There are problems locally.  There are problems nationally.  There are problems internationally - think of the war with Ukraine and Russia.  We think of the unrest in the Middle East.  We think of the turmoil that immigration is causing not only in this land but right across Europe.  There was chaos and confusion in Jeremiah’s day but the Lord says “everything is under my control.”  There is going to be Babylonian captivity.  All these things will happen.  In Jeremiah 32 God talks about his plan for Israel – 10 times God says “I will” in verses 37 – 42.

“I will gather them out of all countries”

“I will bring them to this place”

“I will cause them to dwell safely”

“I will be their God”

“I will give them one heart”

“I will make an everlasting covenant with them”

“I will put my fear in their hearts”

“I will rejoice over them to do good”

“I will plant them in this land”

“I will bring upon them all the good that I have promised them” 

Who is in control?  Yes there will be a captivity, 70 years of exile, a return to land presently and prophetically.  There will be the future coming kingdom of God.  God says to Jeremiah call until me.  In prayer we unite with God in regulating the nations and operating the universe.  God prophesied what he will do.  We can do nothing to stop him yet we are to pray for his kingdom to come.  We know it will come and yet we are told to prayer. What a weapon prayer is in a time of local, in a time of national, in a time of international calamity.  God says to call unto me - why - because I am still on the throne.  We have to trust God.

Secondly, the answering side of prayer – confirmation.  “I will answer thee.” It is one thing when someone says they will do something for us, it is another thing when God says he will do something for us.  No might, may or could answer - God says “I will answer thee.”  Does God always answer prayer? Yes.  What do we really mean when we say this? When God answers prayer he does it in 4 ways.  That prayer may be specifically delivered.  Hannah was longing for a child and God answered her prayer.  Samuel came and Hannah came into the presence of God “For this child I prayed and the Lord hath given me the petition which I asked of him.”  The Psalmist said “The Lord hath heard my supplication, the Lord will hear my prayer.”  Has there not be a time when the Lord has answered your prayer immediately and directly?  Sometimes it is specifically delivered. Sometimes it is strategically delayed.  The request might be right but the timing could be wrong.  Lazarus was ill and his sisters sent for Christ.  The Lord didn’t come immediately.  Christ publicly and personally delayed in order out bring greater glory to God in raising Lazarus from the dead.  Sometimes God delays to answer our prayers because his timing is different from mine.  George Mueller raised so much money for housing 2000 orphans in Bristol.  He prayed in the money and daily the food came.  A man of great prayer.  He prayed for 60 years for the salvation of his friend for years.  Some time after George’s death his prayer was answered and that man was gloriously saved. Sometimes that prayer of mine is specifically delivered, strategically delayed.  Sometimes it is significantly different.  You might ask God for one thing and God gives you something better.  Paul had a thorn in the flesh.  3 times he prayed for it to be removed - “if only could I get rid of this physical affliction I would be much more useful in your service but the Lord said “I am not going to take something from you but I will give something to you – my grace is sufficient for you.”  Sometimes God says “I am going to give something better than you want”.  The Lord says “call unto me I will answer you”. Sometimes the answer is sovereignly denied.  Sometimes God gives the “no” answer.  Isn’t it a mercy that God doesn’t answer all our prayers?  Elijah under the juniper tree was depressed. despondent, disillusioned.  He asks God take away my life “I am no better than my fathers.”  But God gave his life back to him and much more beside.  Amy Carmichael as a child prayed for her eyes to be changed from brown to blue.  She didn’t realise Gods purpose for her lay in the land of India where she was to become the mother of thousands of unwanted temple children.  In India there are only brown eyes there.  God gave Amy the eyes she needed.  Do you ever thank the Lord for saying no to your prayers?  We glibly come into the Lord’s presence.  The Lord says “you don’t know what you are asking for.”  “Nothing lies outside the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God.”  The answer is still there – “I will answer thee.”

 

Thirdly, the assuring side of prayer – confirmation.  What is it that God will show us?  God’s power is centred around 3 things.  Great and mighty things and things we don’t know.  Great things - nothing is beyond the ability of God.  Remember Esau when Jacob stole the birthright.  Esau said to his mother one day “I will kill him”. When the vengeance of Esau seemed inevitable Jacob experienced the great deliverance by God .  When Pharaoh drew near the Israelites the people experienced great deliverance of God.  Gideon thought little of himself, I am the least of my father’s brethren, yet God did great things on his behalf in the days of judges.  Daniel and his 3 friends were about to be destroyed in Babylon but God in heaven who knows great secrets and they received great promotion.  When Judah was taken into captivity and Zedekiah’s sons were murdered before his eyes.  The very last image he saw - all hope of deliverance was gone.  God moved after the exile.  The temple was rebuilt and the city was restored and the walls were reinforced.  God assured Jeremiah “I will show you great things.” God has the power to deliver the great things he has promised.  Nothing is beyond the ability of God.  Have you made the call?  There is not one of us that cannot contact heaven.  Don’t say “there is nothing I can do.”  Prayer is something you can do.  God has asked us to pray, God has commanded us to pray, God has invited us to pray.  We are weak but he is strong, we are nothing but he is everything, we are powerless but he is powerful.  Nothing is beyond the ability of God – great things.  Nothing is beyond the excess of God - mighty things.  The Hebrew scholar says it describes something which is inaccessible by fortifying it or enclosing it.  The Babylon army surrounded the city was under siege.  That is what mighty things are - everything out of reach is within reach where we call upon the Lord.  He delights in doing mighty things for this children.  “With men this is impossible but with God all things are possible.”  How challenging.  We should bring these things to God tonight.  “Things which you know not” - nothing is beyond the abundance of God.  Something you have never seen.  You cannot conceive as though God is saying “I will surpass anything I have done for you ever before”. The Lord is saying to you “call unto me.”  How often do you make the call?  Have you a time for prayer, a place for prayer?  It was said of D L Moody that never made long prayers but never went long without prayer.  C H Spurgeon said “we have hours for the world but only moments for Christ.”  Are we so preoccupied that we can hardly believe that prayer will make that much difference.  God says “call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.”  Will you make the call tonight?