Stephen continued his journey through Genesis this morning, looking at Genesis 4:25-26: “at that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.”
This highlights the need for communication and relationships. God always intended to have a relationship with His creation and that involves communication. For us to foster that relationship, we have to call on the name of the Lord, which activates the communication channel.
Do we only call on the name of the Lord at church? Stephen highlighted several occasions and attitudes in the Bible which illustrate the need for ongoing communication with God:
Gen 12:8
Abraham built an altar and called on the name of the Lord. God had called him to venture out in faith and so he left his familiar home and began a journey of faith.
1 Kings 18:24
The fire of God fell on Elijah’s sacrifice as he called on God in faith; the prophets of Baal were unable to get any response from their god!
Ps 116:17
We call on God’s name with thanksgiving and humility.
Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. There is redemption and salvation for those who learn to communicate with God. God hears and answers.
1 Cor 1:2
We are called to be holy; those who call on the name of the Lord are part of God’s worldwide family. God may well already know about our situations and problems, but He wants to know us in a personal way and longs to communicate with us. Communicating with Him needs to become a way of life for us. We may call to Him in the day of our troubles (Ps 86:7), but we need to learn to call on Him in every situation and at all times – from early in the morning to late at night!