“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known”—Jeremiah 33:3, ESV.
The Lord came to Jeremiah while in prison and encouraged him to call to Him in prayer. Jeremiah’s dungeon is symbolic of the dungeon of life. God does not leave His people, even while in the confines of prison-like circumstances. Indeed, He doubles His visits when His people are in double trouble.
Calling on the Lord is prized by the believer who trusts that God will answer, no matter where or how he or she may be confined. The Lord will answer our prayers because He has appointed and anointed prayer to be the medium of communication between earth and heaven. He has appointed prayer and made arrangements, not only for its presentation, but also its acceptance. God says, “Call to me and I will answer you.” It’s a promise. And God keeps His promises. He will never encourage us to pour out our hearts to Him only to be spurned by Him. He cannot lie or deny Himself.
When we call on the Lord in prayer, He will reveal great and hidden things, says Jeremiah. Actually, God’s praying people get to know a lot about the mind of God—like John who, by weeping, got the book opened; and Daniel who, by prayer, had the king’s secret revealed to him in a night vision.
Author Ellen G. White, who was recently named by the Smithsonian magazine as one of the 100 most significant Americans of all times, wrote: “Our Heavenly Father waits to bestow upon us the fullness of His blessing. It is our privilege to drink largely at the fountain of boundless love. What a wonder it is that we pray so little! God is ready and willing to hear the sincere prayer of the humblest of His children. . . . Why should the sons and daughters of God be reluctant to pray, when prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven’s storehouse, where are treasured the boundless resources of omnipotence?”—Steps to Christ, p. 94.
The fact that God is willing and ready to hear and to respond to our heartfelt prayers under all circumstances is profoundly reassuring. He is a loving Father who is interested, when things are going well and when the vicissitudes of life deal us devastating, tough, and terrible blows. When we feel like crying out, “God, where are You?” It is good to know that He is just a prayer away when you call on Him.
As we begin this new year, I encourage you to keep prayer foremost on your mind. There are many, many things to pray for in 2015—from the Youth Leadership Congress in January to the Compassion Boston evangelistic initiative throughout this year and next. Whatever the needs are, Jesus says, “Call to me and I will answer you.”
Donald G. King is president of the Atlantic Union Conference and chairman of the Atlantic Union College, Inc., Board of Trustees.