The Always-Answered Phone Line - Martin Wiles

Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. Psalm 4:1 NLT

There’s only one phone line I don’t have to worry about being answered.

Phones have come a long way. The oldest one I remember was at my grandparents’ home. A rotary phone with no rotary. Just a circular face and a handset. But you couldn’t talk anytime you wished. My grandparents were on a party line—a shared line. If you heard people talking when you lifted the receiver, you could either listen (which my cousin and I often did) or politely say, “I’m sorry,” and hang up.

Then came the improved rotary phone that looked the same as the party line phone, but actually had a dial. Placing one’s finger in the slots and rotating the dial got the person you called, if they were home. Push button phones were next and made dialing a number quicker.

The cordless phone revolutionized the phone industry. No longer did I have to stand in one spot and talk. I could roam about the house, doing whatever I was doing while I talked. I could even walk outside.

But nothing revolutionized the phone industry as the cell phone did. To begin with, they were bag phones and had to be plugged into an outlet in one’s vehicle. Technology soon removed them. Now I carry it on my side wherever I go, and it serves as a computer as well. A long way from the first rotary phone I used that I had to take turns sharing with other people.

In spite of phone advancements, I can still choose to ignore someone’s call—as they can mine. The psalmist pleaded for God to answer him, to free him from his troubles, and to have mercy on him. I’ve made similar prayers on numerous occasions. While God could choose to ignore me—and sometimes it appears He might—He chooses to answer. And His answers aren’t limited by technology.

Busyness isn’t a problem for God. Unlike an operator, He can handle more than one call at a time. Some calls I make don’t give me comforting answers, but the ones I make to God always do. He knows the right thing to say and the right answer to give.

God’s answers to your prayers might not be what you were expecting or desiring, but His answer is always more powerful than your problem. Trust His answers, and call Him often.

Tweetable: How often are you calling God?

Prayer: Father, thank You for continuously answering our prayer calls. 

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