I was meditating on the concept of why people don’t pray out loud in time alone with God. It occurred to me, in many cases people may feel silly speaking out loud if they aren’t sure there is someone there listening. I wanted to offer this bit of history so you may be confident, not only that God is right there listening, but that Jesus is in fact the Messiah who fulfilled the prophecies foretold by the prophets. Keep in mind these historical facts. -The Roman Empire was founded in 753BC. -The Romans began using Crucifixion around 520BC first in the British Isles. -The Roman Empire conquered Jerusalem in 63BC. -Christ was Crucified somewhere between 30-33AD. – King David’s reign of Israel was around 1000BC. Meaning Rome wasn’t even a thought before King David lived and died. This also means that when he wrote Psalm 22 it was over 1000 years before Christ was born, let alone crucified three decades later. While hanging from the cross Jesus was quoted as saying: “At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”” -Matthew 27:46 NLT “Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”” -Mark 15:34 NLT Now, let’s read the opening verse of Psalm 22, written by King David over 1000 years earlier. “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?” -Psalms 22:1 NLT Jesus, even while nailed to the cross still was pointing us to where we might look for further confirmation of His sacrifice on our behalf. Now here are some more versus from Psalm 22 written around 500 years before the Romans began using crucifixion, and over 900 years before they arrived in Jerusalem. Keep in mind the events of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. He was beaten, mocked (“They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” -Luke 23:37 NLT), they pulled his shoulders out of socket to get him on the cross, He “thirsted” on the cross, when pierced blood and “water” poured out His wound, and the Soldiers played dice for His clothes. -Psalms 22:7-8 NLT “Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, “Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!”” -Psalms 22:14-18 NLT “My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead. My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat. They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing.” This is only one of the many prophetic writings we can rely on to know what Jesus did was Devine/Predetermined, and who He is can be trusted. The separation of Man and God is a reality of Sin, but God made a way to bridge the gap. With Sin now dealt with The Holy Spirit can reside directly within the hearts of believers. The Lord may now dwell in the Holy Temple… your very own soul. Wherever you are, there too is His Spirit. Today, If we want to call someone on the phone, but have no way to pay for the call there is still an option to connect with them. We can call them collect, meaning they will agree to pay for the call on our behalf. It’s called “calling collect.” You might say Jesus paid the price (He accepted the charges) so we could make collect phone calls to reach God directly whenever we choose. So, trust that when you pray… out loud, you are speaking directly to God. His Spirit IS there, He IS listening, and it was His works which paid for the call. God Bless you all today! Pray with confidence, and pray without ceasing, Amen! #Pray, #Faith Share this message with someone to help bring them a little more Hope today!
Collect Call to God
