Calling upon the Lord

The Bible contains many 'quotable quotes'. One of the most popular is, 'He who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved'. Joel 2:32. This Old Testament verse is quoted by Peter in his mighty sermon on the Day of Pentecost. Acts 2:21. The apostle Paul also used this quote in his letter to the Romans. Rom 10:13. And without a doubt, it has been quoted by countless writers, preachers and evangelists since that time.

The psalmist recounted, 'I called upon the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I beseech You, save my life!”.' Psa 116:4. Crying out for the Lord to save us from the bondage of sin and death is most certainly the beginning of salvation. However, I believe that calling upon the name of the Lord is more than a one-off plea for help. It should become the foundation of our entire Christian lives. The psalmist resolved in the same passage, 'I shall call upon Him as long as I live'. Psa 116:2. This becomes the confession of a life long commitment to faithfully serve the Lord.

Perhaps we find the best example of what it means to call upon the name of the Lord by looking at the life of Abraham. After leaving his own country in response to God's command, Abraham built an altar and called upon the name of the Lord. Gen 12:8. He would have built this altar for the express purpose of making offering to the Lord. In the ongoing life of a Christian, making offering and calling upon the name of the Lord are one and the same thing. It is truly the expression of a life wholly and continually given. And the Lord continues to respond as the sweet smelling aroma of the offering ascends before Him.

We could say that there are three distinct phases to calling upon the name of the Lord. Of course, we begin with a genuine plea for forgiveness by saying, 'O Lord, I beseech You, save my life'. When the Lord responds, we quickly resolve, 'I shall call upon Him as long as I live'. This is nothing less than a vow before the Lord. It is a commitment to offer ourselves to the Lord, in every facet of our lives, until the day we breathe our last.

The third phase of calling upon the name of the Lord is the daily fulfilment of this vow. It is fulfilled when we continue to offer ourselves to Him and to each other. And so the psalmist continued, 'To you I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call upon the name of the Lord. I shall pay my vows to the Lord. Oh may it be in the presence of all His people'. Psa 116:17-18. When the psalmist spoke of the sacrifice of thanksgiving, he was referring to the peace offerings. These offerings from the harvest were presented to the Lord in a spirit of thanksgiving, and they included the fulfilment of vows.

Surely the Lord has blessed us greatly. We can only ask, 'What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?' Psa 116:12. And like the psalmist, we can only answer, 'I shall lift up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I shall pay my vows to the Lord'. Psa 116:13-14. In this way, calling upon the name of the Lord is indeed the foundation of the Christian life.

David Baker

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Feature Articles
February 2009

A measure of faith

Faith for resurrection

Calling upon the Lord

Ready or not

Recognising new creation

Learning to shepherd

The word of faith

The fruits of wisdom

Following the Lamb

Once I was blind

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