Exodus: The Feast and the Failure · Day 15 of 21
Drinking
by Calling
The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”Romans 10:12–13 · BSB
These verses give the Bible's clearest answer to a practical question: if God gives richly, how does a person actually receive? The Apostle Paul writes that the same Lord is Lord of all and gives richly to all who call on Him, and then he quotes the prophet Joel: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." From these verses we learn that the receiving happens by calling.
Let's trace how this practice began. Calling on the name of the LORD did not begin with Paul. It appears in the earliest generations of the human race, in the days of Enosh, when people first began to call on the name of the LORD (Genesis 4:26). Peter preached this same verse from Joel at Pentecost (Acts 2:21). Paul even identifies believers by this custom, addressing his letter to all those in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2). Calling on the Lord is the oldest prayer in the Bible, and it has been practiced by believers ever since.
Calling is also simpler than most kinds of prayer. It requires no composed sentences and no list of requests, because it is simply addressing a Person by His name: "Lord Jesus." Spoken aloud, whispered, or said inwardly from the heart, the name reaches Him, and according to His promise, the riches flow back to the one calling. This is an example of how a thirsty soul drinks from the rock that accompanies us. The mouth opens with His name, and the water comes in.
Calling needs no equipment and no appointment. We can call in the car before walking into work, in the hallway between two difficult meetings, or in the kitchen at midnight. What matters to the Lord is not the volume or the number of repetitions but whether we mean Him sincerely. His name spoken genuinely is a drink; by contrast, His name recited mechanically is only a sound.
The only real objection is that it sounds too simple, but Scripture has met that objection before. Naaman the general nearly refused his healing because the instruction, washing seven times in the Jordan, seemed beneath him, and his servants had to remind him that he would gladly have done some great thing instead (2 Kings 5:10–14). Simple instructions test our pride more than our strength. If calling on His name was enough to save us, it is certainly enough to refresh us.
Today's question is one of honesty: how many times yesterday did I genuinely speak to the Lord by name?
Today's practice
Pick three transitions you will certainly pass through today, such as starting the car, opening your laptop, and washing your hands before dinner. At each one, speak His name once, genuinely: "Lord Jesus." Nothing more is required, because He gives richly to all who call on Him.
God gives richly to all who call on Him, and calling needs nothing but His name.