“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3).
Prayer holds the supreme place among the callings and privileges accorded to God’s children. What a great privilege it is that God the Creator, the Almighty God, gives man the authority to come before Him at any time, in any place, and commune with Him. God challenges man to ask God anything and to any extent.
A Simple Request
“Call unto me …” is exhortation for a simple request. “… men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). The prayer “…without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) is to be made unto God. God does not ask man to do anything which is beyond his capacity to fulfil. Saints of old went to the throne of grace in every moment of need, and found God sufficient for their every need. Today God also asks His people to draw nigh to Him in prayer.
A Sure Reply
“…I will answer thee…” is the promise for a sure reply. Not a grain of doubt or hesitation need be in the heart of the believer when he asks God. For the one who needs deliverance from sin, Jesus says, “… him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). For the one in spiritual or physical need or trouble, God promises, “… call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee…” (Psalm 50: 15). God remembers His covenant with man through His Son and honours it. For a simple request God promises a sure reply.
A Shocking Revelation
“… and shew thee …” Here is the shocking revelation to everyone who seeks God’s face. Moses was transformed by God and commissioned to deliver Israel from Egypt’s bondage. Gideon and his three hundred men found victory over a vast army of the enemy.
How often the people of God forget that it is not they but the Lord of hosts who fights the battle for them, “… Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). This world has yet to see what God can do through a man who is totally surrendered to His will and dedicated for His purposes. God’s eyes are searching for men in whom He can manifest His power. For a simple request God promises a sure reply and a shocking revelation.
The Surprising Result
“… great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” is the essential surprising result when God is at work through His chosen instrument. “Fear not, thou worm Jacob… I will help thee… Behold, Iwill make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth:thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff” (Isaiah 41: 14-15). The God of Abraham,
Moses, Elijah, and Zerubabel uses small but completely surrendered instruments to manifest His glory. The pages of human history are full of instances of great and mighty things which men of God did for Him: the invincible, vast Red Sea divided when the rod of Moses was lifted against it; at Elijah’s word, fire descended from above and consumed the sacrifice; George Mueller’s orphans were fed from the great store-house of Heaven. For everyone who believed God, surprising results were granted.
The Christian church today is largely devoid of power. We have all forms and rituals of worship, but not the spirit of worship. The apostles said, “… Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). The twentieth century church has silver and gold, but not the power of God. We belittle God’s power by teaching that miracles of God’s grace are a thing of the past, meant for a former age only. How great a day it will be when the scales fall off from our eyes, and we see that God is still on the throne and can do great things today.
We need to pray that we will regain our sight so that we see the wretched, miserable condition of the church and of Christians today, and then turn back to God, turn back to the cleansing, sanctifying blood of Jesus for forgiveness, and to the Spirit of God for a new manifestation of God’s might. We will never pray as we should until we see it is a necessity. “…men ought always to pray…” (Luke 18: 1).
To the prophet Jeremiah, God gave the promise that for a simple request there is a sure reply, shocking revelation, and surprising results. Are we willing to ask God? God is willing to give. “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession” (Psalm 2:8).
“…I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28). We beseech all Christians to try and prove God, to hold a fast and cry unto the Lord, placing all their burdens and needs in His presence, and find the answers as per the promises. Will we tarry in His presence and receive from God the power, the power of the Holy Spirit, the streams of Living Water, until we are filled to overflowing?