“Call to me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things you do not know.”
Jeremiah 33:3
Calm in the midst of crisis. Prayer in the face of problems. This expresses what God invited Jeremiah to experience in some of the darkest days of Israel and Judah. God gave to His prophet a most precious invitation: “call to me.”
Jeremiah, the representative of God’s people, was urged by God to pray for that which God promised to bestow – namely, restoration and deliverance. (This would be the second time God had given Jeremiah such a message.) The date of this message to the prophet, although not exactly determined, follows the events in the foregoing chapter when things were growing worse and worse. The siege of Jerusalem began sometime around 589 / 588 B.C. The people of God had been taken into captivity. Jeremiah was imprisoned in the king’s court (32:2-3). But God promised restoration and rescue from Babylon, and ultimately a coming Messiah, King and Priest. Yes, in the midst of unthinkable problems arose a magnificent promise. A promise that God completely fulfilled for Jeremiah and His people, and for you and me.
A crisis that gripped many people in fear, challenged many people in their faith, and caused confusion and desperation for all was met with the simplest most sublime promise one could ever imagine. “Call to me.” The invitation was initially a very personal message for the prophet that eventually became an encouragement for many. Consider the incredible impact such a personal and intimate invitation not only had on Jeremiah, but for you and me at this very moment. “Call to me,” God said.
This invitation is, of course, a call to prayer. Allow this thought to permeate your whole being. The God of the Universe invites us to draw near to Him in the most practical and sacred way: prayer. As best as I can determine, the Hebrew word for call (qara) doesn’t simply mean to call, but to “call aloud.” I find significance in the invitation to “call aloud” to God. This does not simply imply an amplified prayer, but rather a very personal prayer, as a child calls out to a father or mother. The God who made the earth (formed it “in every detail”, Jeremiah 32:2) stands over our lives as a loving Father and invites us to call out to Him. This should not only call us to prayer, but to a deep and abiding peace. And, this peace should come because of the One who has invited us to call to Him. Do you feel peace at this moment? God stands over you as He did Jeremiah. And, He invites you to call upon Him. Some might ask, “what if I don’t know what to say to Him?” This question is answered with a question: “what would any child say to a loving father in the midst of fear and in the face of a crisis?” Call out to Him. Call out to Him often and genuinely and begin to feel His peace afresh and anew.
The invitation is empowered by the promise of an answer. As the invitation to call upon God is timeless (from Jeremiah’s day to ours), so the promise of an answer is timeless as well. “Call upon me, and I will answer.” And, the answer is, “I will show you great and mighty things.” Although the promise of restoration and deliverance had already been announced to the prophet, God gave a powerful description of that promise:
Jeremiah 33:6-9
6 “‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. 7 I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. 8 I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. 9 Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’
The sin of Jerusalem was her sickness. The above promise would become her recovery. The peace announced (v. 6) represented all the good of God. This peace would lead God’s people once again to true worship and obedience.
When Jeremiah received the promise that God would deliver, he also received the promise that God Himself would make known those things that presently were very unclear. There were many unknowns that surrounded God’s promises, but Jeremiah was reassured that in due time God would make things clear. Jeremiah’s responsibility was not to solve the unknowns, nor was his job to make the promise a reality. Jeremiah was given one invitation: call to me. And with the invitation was given the promise that God would answer and ultimately reveal the fulfillment of His promises.
Today, our world knows the reality of a crisis, and our world understands the burden of the unknown. But for you . . . you have a promise, O child of God. Our God, the One who formed the earth perfectly, invites you to call upon Him from within the crisis. And, as you call upon Him rest assured that He hears, and He answers. How comforting. How incredibly comforting.
Does this give you peace? I pray so. And, I pray that you will go forward today in that peace. Not long ago, I heard someone say, “fear is contagious.” But I have discovered peace is very contagious as well. Let others see your peace. And then be ready to tell them why you have it.
BLESSINGS.
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Read Jeremiah 33:6-26 and be encouraged by God’s promise of restoration.
