Call unto Me!

(Jeremiah 33:3) “Call unto me, and I will answer thee...”

Calling out for help is something we do instinctively when threatened. So long as we believe we will be heard. I recollect two separate incidences that caused me to call out for help which I would like to explore further.

I had a flat battery and needed to get the Toyota starter, however it was parked under the carport and as the battery was unreachable with started cables I would need to push it out into the open, so that I could easily connect the jumper cables from the one car to the other. First of all I decided that I would bring around my father’s Mercedes. I parked the car in the place I had mentally measured out so that I wouldn’t have to move it again, I then strolled over to the Prado (heavy big 4x4) and as I was alone I needed to be outside the vehicle to get the momentum going, down the ridge and out of the carport, I could not open the door and jump into the car as it was already on the move because of the carport poles, if I had tried to do that I would have damaged the driver side door. Instead I decided to run to the back of the vehicle and then stop it; little did I know that it would be impossible. The 4x4 was now rolling backwards with me behind it and heading on a collision course with the Mercedes. What was I to do? Instinctively without any further thought as misfortune had surrounded me of late, I decided to use my leg as a cushion to stop any damage being done to the Mercedes. Yes, I agree in hindsight that was not very well thought through! With my leg now trapped the pressure was immense and it felt as if my femur would explode under the force. I knew there were people around and so I began to yell out for help. It was a call that had urgency to it! The pitch was a different to a normal cry. Those who heard me arrived at the scene wanting to help, no matter how hard I tried pushing to get my leg free, all my attempts were in vain. The domestic helper arrived with the gardener and I instructed them to get in the vehicle and drive the car forward relieving the pressure from my leg, but neither could drive. The panic in my eye caused them also to panic. Eventually with all of us behind the vehicle we managed to conjure up enough strength between us to get my leg free.

I had called out instinctively looking for someone to come to my aid, I had excepted help as I knew there was help around and I received what I had expected. I never doubted! I called out to those I knew were around and they answered me. I am sure we all can relate to those who have come to our aid in times of trouble.

The second account was somewhat different as I was alone and the only one I could rely on was God as He alone had the power to save. We do not reason correctly if we think we have the power to stand on the help of others to the exclusion of God. He holds the power to all things in the palm of His hand. Nothing can be done without His knowledge. He knows all things and everything is subject to His dominion and rule. But because we are human we sometimes reason as simple men.

I was young and in Zimbabwe and with a group of friends as we had decided to “cowboy up” and try a new adventure, “White River Rafting”. These attempts had claimed the lives of many adventurers, although supervision was supplied prior to our departure an indemnity form needed to be signed by all looking to accomplish this feat. The Zambezi River had many a brutal rapid that were very unforgiving. I recollect the episode as if it was yesterday. They spilt us into groups of eight, and as I was a photographer and had seen many photographers standing on the river’s edge taking photographs I decided to strap an underwater camera to my chest. I wanted to achieve a different feel to my pictures. We were all allocated one river guide per boat, I ended up with a guide that went by the nickname John the Baptist, and I should have known that this was going to be a hairy experience. They took us through some safety drills at the top of the first rapid; they called her “Morning Glory”. One of the instructions were if a man went overboard he was to relax and pull his legs up into his chest, the reason for this was so that it would be harder for the river to trap you under a rock. After the brief explanation on what we were to do if we found ourselves in the water, we were off, but as we approached the very first rapid we got it wrong and came in backwards, I was sitting at the back but now because of our rotation I was in the front and without holding on as that was the mucho things to do (ridiculous), I got sucked off the back of the rubber-duck and into the water. Remembering the instruction to relax and pull my legs up into my chest, I attempted to do exactly that. But to no avail! The harder I tried to pull my legs up the more impossible it became, I was now underwater and my life vest seemed to be useless as it did not keep me afloat. I remember remaining calm, the pressure below the surface was fierce as air eluded my lungs, about halfway down I remember breaching the surface for just a moment and I managed to get half a breathe and under again I went. I began to believe that I was not going to make it, so I began to frantically pray, I could call out to no one but the only one who had the power to save. My concern at this point was not whether or not I would survive the ordeal; I rather became frenetically concerned about the life hereafter. I began to ask for forgiveness on how I had conducted my life over the last couple of months. I was deeply concerned about eternity and were I would end up. Life as a man no longer had any bearing on my will to live, it had moved from my existence here on earth to where I would end up in eternity. I remember my panic moving from absolute desperation to a calming peace replacing my initial panic. I thought that was it, my life was now over and as I began to resign myself to death, God decided that it was not yet time for me and the river spat me out and I surfaced.

I never for one minute considered calling out to anybody else but God for help, who else was there? My surrounding was similar in that both incidences I needed help. In the first account I called out to humans for help, but in the second account I was forced to call out to God as He alone was able to save me. The error we make in our lives is when we reason as I reasoned, we think that something’s are fitting for God to help us with, while other things are more self-governing and we can handle them on our own. We must learn to become solely dependent upon God, His grace and His mercy. In all things we must give thanks, we must make it our goal to; Call unto Him, and He will answer us...

Call upon me, and I will answer them. The prophet encourages us to pray unto God, but continuously in our lives. He had prayed (Jer_32:16), but he knew that he must pray again. Those that expect to receive comforts from God must continue instant in prayer. We must call upon him, and then He will answer us. Christ himself must ask and it shall be given. We must embrace God and His promises as they are given, not to supersede, but to quicken and encourage prayer.”

May we all learn to become solely dependent upon God and his promises through prayer, may we learn to trust and obey even when death is knocking on our door, what have we to fear? “If God is for us who can be against us”, but let us learn to lay down our lives through obedience unto Him who has the power and the keys to heaven as well as hell.

Signing off

Tyrone