Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

A Daily Devotional by Kenton Cheek

17 April 2024

Reading From Psalm 17, 35, 54, 63

“I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
    turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
Show me the wonders of your great love,
    you who save by your right hand
    those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings
from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
    from my mortal enemies who surround me.

They close up their callous hearts,
    and their mouths speak with arrogance.
They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
    with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
They are like a lion hungry for prey,
    like a fierce lion crouching in cover.”

–Psalm 17:6-12

     Any time I am in trouble of any kind, I am able to call upon the Name of the Lord and He will come to my aid.  The reason that the Bible says in Romans 10:13, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” is that it requires faith and trust in God in order to call upon His Name.  A person who does not believe and chooses not to trust Him will not call upon Jesus.  Also, the ancient world a person’s name was more than just a label.  Names spoke of the character of who that person was.  So when we call upon the Name of the Lord, we are believing and trusting that God is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do. 

     By calling on His Name we put faith in God and in the truth of His promises.  He provides safety and refuge for those who go to Him for help.  The covering of us by His “feathers” is such a beautiful picture of God as our Perfect Parent taking such good care of us, His children.  We know from Scripture in John 4:24 that God is Spirit and therefore the Father does not have a physical body as a human does.  Anthropomorphisms and metaphors in the Bible speaking of God’s eyes, ears, hands, feet, arms, feathers, et cetera do not indicate His actual physical characteristics.  God’s nature is beyond our understanding.  These figures of speech help us to understand in language we can wrap our heads around of how God intervenes in our lives spiritually.

     People who reject the plan of salvation offered in the Word of God and continually choose to go their own way rather than the Way of God cause their own hearts to become calloused.  It is as though compounded sin cauterizes us spiritually and we lose our sensitivity to the guidance and leadership of the Holy Spirit of the Living God.  A genuine prayer of repentance; of truly being sorry for our mistakes and turning to God for forgiveness, this allows the Lord to begin to work in our lives to bring healing and reverse the effects of sin.  When we call upon the Name of the Lord, He will soften our calloused hearts and lead us along in a process of becoming more and more like Jesus.

“Lord God, I call upon Your Name for such as only You can save, heal, empower and bring hope to my life.  Please intervene in my daily life and in the lives of my friends and family.  Thank You that You care enough about us to listen to our prayers and praises and that You not only listen but You act according to Your perfect will and purpose.  Soften my heart so that I can receive direction from You.  Forgive me of my sins and remove any static or distraction from our line of communication.  I pray that I will walk with You and talk with You and dwell in Your House all the days of my life.  Amen.”

To the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. –Genesis 13:4

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls. –Joel 2:32

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. –Romans 10:13-17