Getting ahold of people
*Ring* *Ring*
I jumped up from my seat and ran across the house to the phone in the kitchen. When I got to the receiver I took a quick breath, because I didn’t want to sound rushed, then I picked up the phone.
“Hello, Spilgers. How can I help you?” I answered as professionally as I could.
“Hello, is Ken there?” Said the voice on the other end of the line. I asked them to hold and went to find my Dad, the person they had called to talk to.
This scene played out countless times between me and my 6 siblings. We would want to be the first person to the phone, but if we were being honest we knew that almost all the calls would be for Dad or Mom.
The first phone call ever was made on March 10, 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell to his assistant Thomas Watson. The entire call communicated these nine words:
“Mr. Watson–come here–I want to see you.”
Alexander Bell needed his assistant. He got ahold of him. He called him by his name. And Mr. Watson understood and came to the room Mr. Bell had spoken from.
Whether he knew it or not Mr. Bell was following the form for most of the phone calls I’ve received in my life. “Jonathan, come here, bring this, get that, go there.” Phones, and now cell phones and texting, have helped us get ahold of people in ways that were unimaginable before their invention.
Who we call is important. And knowing that we can get ahold of them is important.
Prayer is how we get ahold of God.
When we get ahold of God we call Him by His name, not just His title but His name. Let’s look again at the first mention of prayer in scripture:
“And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.” Genesis 4:26
Seth and his descendants were the first to pray to God by His name: Jehovah.
Jehovah is the most frequently used name of God, being used 5791 times in the Bible. This name is identified in the Bible in English by “LORD” or “GOD” in all caps (in some the publisher will use small capitals: “LORD” or “GOD”).
Jehovah means: “self-Existent or Eternal.” This is God’s proper name and the fact that it is specified is significant. It sets an example of calling on God, and that in that call we call on the name of the Lord: Jehovah.
“Jehovah” Explained to Moses
God explains the meaning of this name Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:13-14
“And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”
The term“I AM” in Hebrew means to exist.
God wanted Israel to know that Moses was coming under His authority. God is the only self-existent being. Everything and everyone else was created by Him.
Jehovah’s Invitation to Pray
Later during the time of the Exile from the promised land God again identified Himself by His name, Jehovah, and encouraged His people Israel to call on Him. Speaking to Jeremiah He said:
“2 Thus saith the LORD (Jehovah) the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name; 3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:2–3
Jehovah is the maker, former, and establisher and He is inviting them to call on His name and see answers that they can’t begin to fathom.
Jesus Invites us to Use His Name in Prayer
We aren’t without promises like this in the New Testament era. In John 16 Jesus invites us to pray and ask things in His name:
“23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. [Speaking of when they will see Jesus again] Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:23-24
Jesus is saying that His name means something. When we pray in Jesus’ name we are calling on the name of the Lord. This isn’t a magic trick for getting what we want when we want it, but it is a promise from our savior of answered prayer.
Our prayer in Jesus name can’t be just a set of words “in Jesus name…” It must be sincere prayer, seeking God’s best, accompanied by a confidence in the fact that God will hear and answer prayer.
Studying and Application:
- How did men communicate with God before the account in Gen 4:26 of the first prayer? (Look at Gen 1-4 for this information)
- Do you use the phrase “In Jesus Name” when you pray? If so, how has God used this in your life and prayer?
- Review your prayer requests from last week. How has God worked in these areas you’ve been praying about? Take a minute to add any new requests to your list now.
