When I Call on God, He Will Answer

In review of Romans 10:13 it says, “Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (TLB).

Today’s verse comes from the last part of Romans 10:5-13 which says, the law's way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. But faith's way of getting right with God says, "the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart." If I openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead, I will be saved. For it is by believing in my heart that I am made right with God, and it is by openly declaring my faith that I am saved. As the Scriptures tell me, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced." Jew and Gentile are the same in the respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

In order for me to be saved by the law, I would have to live a perfect life, not sinning once. So why was a law given that I could never ever accomplish? The reason the law was given was to show me how guilty I am. The law was a shadow of Christ, that it, a sacrificial system that educated us so that when the true sacrifice came, we would be able to understand his work. The system of ceremonial law was only to last until the coming of Christ. The Law points to my need for a Savior.

Christ provided my salvation through his incarnation (God in human for) and resurrection. God's salvation is right in front of me. He will come to me whenever I’m in need. All I need to do is to respond and accept his gift of salvation.

Salvation is as close as my own lips and heart: We would think that it must be a complicated process, but it is not. When I believed in my heart and said with my mouth that Christ is the risen Lord, I was saved.

If I’m finding myself at a place where I need to be rescued, all I need to do is to call out for help. It doesn’t take a special phone or a bat-signal. All I have to do is ask and Jesus will rescue me. I can ask him to rescue you in any area of my life: my work life, a relationship, a financial situation, a health issue, anything. But I have to ask!

In Psalm 91:15, God says, “When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them” (NLT). This is not just talk, because God doesn’t lie. It would be contrary to his character because he is total truth.

I reminded that God says I need to do my part and then he’ll do his. I call, he answers. That’s it. Just call on the name of the Lord. And the name of the Lord is Jesus.

It’s vital to understand that in any rescue operation, the rescuer gets to determine the means and method of the rescue. I don’t get to determine how I’m saved. It’s not up to me; it’s up to my Savior. And Jesus says, “I am the way . . . No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NIV).

Jesus doesn’t say he’s a good way or a nice way or even the best way. He says, “I’m it.” If there were a plan B, God wouldn’t have sent Jesus, his plan A, to Earth to die for me. So if I’m going to be saved and have all my sins forgiven, there’s only one way it will happen, and there’s only one person I can call on: Jesus.

Bottom Line:

Anyone who calls upon the Lord will be saved.

What does this mean to me:

When I Call on the name of the Lord, He answers and provides.

In summary, the law's way of making me right, requires 100% obedience to it. This is impossible, however if I openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead, I will be saved. For when I call on the name of the Lord I will be saved. He will come to me whenever I'm in need. All I need to do is to respond and accept his gift of salvation. When I find myself in a place where I need rescue, I can ask him to do so, and this can be any area of my life. But first, I have to ask! I need to do my part and then he'll do his. I call, he answers. I must remember however that how I'm rescued is up the rescuer and not me how it’s done. It's all up to him.

This morning Father I thank you for saving me. There is nothing I can do on my own. It’s up to you, and you give me this gift by my confession of Jesus and how you raised him from the dead. You have promised to answer me and provide when I call on your name. So Father pray, “for focus today on those things that are extremely important, not only at work, but in my relationships with my wife, daughter, son-in-law and grandson. Allow me to handle rightly the urgent things that need to be done, while continuing to identify and work on those things that are important. Give me the right words to work with those around me and respond rightly. It’s in your Son Jesus name, Amen!”