Call Upon His Name

Streams in the Desert

And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered (Joel 2:32).

Why do not I call on His name? Why do I run to this neighbor and that when God is so near and will hear my faintest call? Why do I sit down and devise schemes and invent plans? Why not at once roll myself and my burden upon the Lord?

Straightforward is the best runner--why do not I run at once to the living God? In vain shall I look for "deliverance anywhere else; but with God I shall find it; for here I have His royal shall to make it sure. I need not ask whether I may call on Him or not, for that word "Whosoever" is a very wide and comprehensive one. Whosoever means me, for it means anybody and everybody who calls upon God. I will therefore follow the leading of the text, and at once call upon the glorious Lord who has made so large a promise.

My case is urgent, and I do not see how I am to be delivered; but this is no business of mine. He who makes the promise will find ways and means of keeping it. It is mine to obey His commands; it is not mine to direct His counsels. I am His servant, not His solicitor. I call upon Him, and He will deliver.
--C. H. Spurgeon

The Day I Rolled Down the Window

The Day I Rolled Down the Window
by John UpChurch, Crosswalk.com Contributor

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”  1 John 4:18 

The guy had no teeth on top. Sadly, I noticed that first. His cigarette dangled between gum and lip.

While my wife jogged into Walgreens, this guy passed up dozens of other open spaces to squeeze his red coupe between our Prius and a truck that stuck slightly over the white line. He glanced over at us for only a moment before his window stuttered down and a mud-and-oil stained mitt poked out of the window to wave at my daughters in the backseat.

I confess. I didn’t exactly feel neighborly.

And then the guy began speaking and pointing to our car. I couldn’t hear a word through the glass, but that didn’t stop him from mumbling around his cigarette, which was probably 80% ash. Smiling from the silliness of it, I zipped the passenger-side window down and wondered what would compel him to speak to a complete stranger in a parking lot.

Gas mileage. Seriously.

This random guy in the parking lot of Walgreens wanted to compare gas mileage. At least, that’s what opened the door for conversation. From there, I learned what he did (shoeing horses), found out how his work had hurt his back (bulging disk), saw a picture of his prized new jackdaw (I had no clue either), and realized how much you can love a guy with no upper teeth.

He was real. He had no pretensions, no conceit, no desire to be anything more than he was. You got the raw, muddy man. And, sadly, I would never have spoken to the guy on my own if he hadn’t put his huge hand and ashy cigarette out the window. Sadly, I didn’t want to get messy.

But, really, love is all about the uncomfortable mess—just as God revealed in my life. To Him, I once looked much worse than toothless, much dirtier than mud-covered. But Jesus didn’t care. He saw something through all that muck He loved. And am I ever glad He did.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Love means getting close to people who are nothing like us. God may put people there for us to reach out to that don’t fit our ideal image of people we want to be around. They could reek of smoke, have few teeth, or even champion political views we don’t like. It’s enough to make us squirm.

But there’s one key here that we cannot forget: He loves them. Jesus touched the diseased, dirty, and destitute. He wasn’t afraid of engaging with the unpopular and scandalous. Instead, He specifically sought out those that no one else would. His grace knew no social barrier.

We can’t let being uncomfortable prevent us from sharing that love.

For Further Reading
1 John 1:1
James 2:1

Refined into His Image

Refined into His Image
By Mary Southerland

“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” – Malachi 3:3 (NIV).

The story is told of a group of women who met each week to study the Bible, hoping to learn more about the nature and character of God and how He works in our lives. The women were puzzled and even a little troubled by the description of God they found in Malachi 3:3, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” One of the women offered to do a little research on the subject and report back to the group at their next meeting.

The woman found a local silversmith and made an appointment to observe him at work, explaining that she was particularly interested in the process of refining silver. She watched as the craftsman carefully selected a piece of silver for his demonstration. She thought the piece of silver was already beautiful but evidently the silversmith saw something that she could not see. As he held the silver over the furnace, the craftsman explained that in refining silver, the silver had to be placed in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so all of the impurities would be burned away.

The woman was silent for a moment as her thoughts drifted to the fiery trials she was facing in her own life. Honestly, she did not get it. Why would a loving God allow His children to suffer when He could so easily deliver them? In fact, why does God even allow bad things to happen to people who are seeking Him and really trying to live for Him?

The woman asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. “Oh, yes!” he replied. “I cannot take my eyes off the silver. If it is left in the furnace even a moment too long, it will be destroyed.” The woman suddenly understood the beauty and comfort of Malachi 3:3, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

Yes, there are times when it seems as if we will be swallowed whole by the fires of Hell itself. The pain seems too hard to bear. The fear is paralyzing. The doubt is overwhelming.

Is God really who He says He is?
Will He really do what He says He will do?
Will He really keep His promises?


Our trials are not random persecutions. Heaven is not in a panic. Where we are and what we are going through is no surprise to God. We may be knocked down and kicked around by life, but if we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we will not be destroyed.


I know and accept the truth that trials and hard times make me stronger and strengthen my faith, but there are times when I want it all to stop. I find myself asking, “How much is enough, Lord? How many trials do I have to endure? When will the pain and trouble end?”


"How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" the woman asked. The silversmith smiled and answered, “Oh, that’s easy. The refining process is complete when I can see my image reflected in the silver.”


God is not committed to our comfort. He is committed to our character. Only God can exchange the ashes of our sin for the beauty of His forgiveness and grace. God alone can replace our despair with His peace that passes all understanding. Hope can only be found in Him.

A Prayer for Enduring Hardship

A Prayer for Enduring HardshipBy Jack Graham

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

There was a young lady I heard about years ago who had come to the end of herself. She was in a hopeless situation and saw no reason to continue living. The purpose in her life was gone. So she went out onto the edge of a pier, closed her eyes, and leapt out into the cold, dark waters below.

But a young man walking nearby saw what happened. And before he could even think, he jumped off the pier himself into the turbulent frigid waters below. But he had forgotten to consider one thing: he didn’t know how to swim. So as he was struggling to even keep his head above water, that young lady reached over and began to help him.

They both made it out alive. And as a result, the woman realized she did have a purpose: to love others and to serve Jesus Christ. It wasn’t the fact that the man saved her life through a great act of heroism that did it. It was that someone saw her pain and cared enough to step down and go through it with her.

When it comes to loving others, that’s the call on our lives. Not to always have all the answers and be able to fix every problem, but to step into others’ lives, bear their burdens, and walk through their pain with them. That’s what it really means to help others endure life’s hardships!

Dear Lord, when the troubles of life begin to mount and we can see no way out, help us to trust in you and sing your praises all the more. There are days when we struggle to make sense of the world, Help us to remember that no matter what may come, you are always with us. Amen.