“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.” (Psa. 145:18-20)

Psalm 145 has so many amazing truths, and the Lord spoke to me about many situations in my life throughout its different verses. It made it hard to pick just one to share some thoughts on today! That said, verses 18-20 reminds me of his faithfulness.

We often only call on the Lord in times of need, in times of desperation, and in times of hopelessness. Like many of the writers of these psalms, that is absolutely a time to call on the Lord, for He is our hope and our salvation.

But don’t let that be the only time you call on Him. One of the shortest verses in the Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, is only two to three words long depending on what Bible translation you’re reading. In the NIV it simply says, “pray continually.” In other versions it may say, “pray without ceasing.”

We are to call on Him CONTINUALLY, meaning never stopping, never ceasing. Every moment of our day should be filled with prayer; every breath should be filled with worship. When we are fully centered on Christ, we will call on Him in truth. When Jesus is our truth, then our purpose for living is in the Lord, and He will be near us.

I mentioned this not too long ago, but I like to define fear of the Lord as being characterized by a life of worship, in reverence and awe of who He is. God hears the prayers of the righteous, and fulfills the desires of those who fear Him. When we have true fear of the Lord, our desires will align to His will. He hears our cries and saves us… not necessarily from our earthly circumstance, but ultimately from an eternal life separated from Him.

If you’re living day to day without a sincere and deep focus on the Lord, then I urge you to pray and ask God to give you the desire to seek Him more. Sometimes that may be a scary prayer, because for some, God can only get our attention through trials and difficult situations. But I promise you it’s well worth it.

There is nothing in this life that is more important than your relationship with Christ. Absolutely nothing- not your family, not your health, not your house, not your job, not your ministry at church. Our life on earth is but a speck in eternity, and the Lord has eternity waiting for those who call upon His Name, love Him, and are called according to His purpose. Amen!

[From November 28, 2018]