Call to Me

“This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” — Jeremiah 33:2-3 (NIV)

When God spoke these words to the prophet Jeremiah, he was sitting in prison. The nation he had been called to prophesy to, Judah, had deeply disobeyed the Lord, and judgment was coming. Jerusalem was facing imminent destruction and exile by the Babylonians. Obviously, any natural person would be growing a little tired of their situation, perhaps even feeling discouraged or despairing. I for sure would be.

Yet in the middle of Jeremiah’s circumstances, the Lord comes to him once again and declares His sovereignty. He reminds Jeremiah that He is the Creator of the universe, the One who made the earth, formed it, and established it. He knows what it needs, what it is made of, and how it works because He created it. Nothing happening around Jeremiah has escaped God’s notice or slipped beyond His control. God establishes His authority with His very name.

Then He gives Jeremiah an invitation: “Call to me and I will answer you.”

The Lord invites Jeremiah to come to Him with all his questions, fears, disappointments, and uncertainty. He does not tell him to figure everything out on his own. Instead, He reminds Jeremiah that the answer to confusion is not self-reliance but communion with God.

This invitation extends to us as well. God invites us to seek Him during difficult times, assuring us that He is the Creator and that He reveals His truth to those who call upon Him. He reminds Jeremiah of His absolute sovereignty and limitless power, demonstrating that He is fully capable of fulfilling every promise He has made.

The phrase “great and unsearchable things” refers to things that were hidden from human understanding. For Jeremiah, these words pointed to God’s plans for restoration and rescue that no one could have anticipated. While Jerusalem stood on the brink of destruction, God was already working out a future redemption for His people. The ultimate fulfillment of that redemption would be found in His plan of salvation.

The original Hebrew gives us an even richer picture. The word translated “great” is gedolot, meaning things that are massive in scale, powerful, and magnificent.

The word translated “unsearchable” is betsurot, a word that literally means “fortified,” “walled up,” or “fenced in.” Elsewhere in the Old Testament, this same word is used to describe heavily fortified cities that seemed impossible to penetrate.

What a beautiful image. When God speaks of “great and unsearchable things,” He is referring to truths, purposes, and plans that are completely inaccessible to human wisdom.

They are not hidden because God is trying to keep them from us; they are hidden because they are beyond our ability to discover on our own. They are like a fortified city whose walls cannot be breached by human intellect, reasoning, or effort. They must be revealed by God Himself.

How often do we exhaust ourselves trying to figure everything out? Whoops, guilty!!! We search for answers, attempt to predict outcomes, and try to understand what God is doing in our lives. Yet some things cannot be discovered through our own understanding. They must be revealed through prayer, time in God’s Word, and a growing relationship with Him.

When God invited Jeremiah to call upon Him, He was inviting him into more than a conversation. He was inviting him into divine revelation.

The same invitation stands for us today. The Creator of the universe invites us to bring our questions, fears, and uncertainties to Him, and He promises to reveal what we could never discover on our own.

God wants to answer you. He will answer you.

Do you believe that?

Honestly, sometimes I have a hard time believing it myself. Yet God says it plainly: “I will answer you.” Truly, how much clearer could He be??

That answer may not take the form you anticipate or come when you desire, but He will respond. Sometimes His answer is “yes.” Sometimes it is “no.” Sometimes it is “wait.” You may not understand the reasons behind His answer, but you can trust that His response is rooted in wisdom, love, and His purpose for your life.

We have finite wisdom and understanding; God knows all. He sees the entire picture while we see only a small piece of it. When we ask Him to guide us, He directs us according to His greater vision and calling. What may seem confusing or disappointing in the moment is often part of a story we cannot yet see.

If you take that first step of calling out to Him, prayer becomes an important part of a dynamic relationship with Almighty God. He waits to hear your voice. Not because He does not already know what you are thinking or feeling, but because He desires a genuine relationship with you.

God wants to hear from you. His loving, omnipotent heart desires to hear your innermost thoughts and feelings. Of course, He already knows them—He is God. Yet because He loves you, He invites you to bring everything before Him. He wants to hear from you in the hard times and when life is going smoothly. He wants to hear your fears, your questions, your gratitude, and your praise.

Some of the sweetest moments of prayer are not when we are asking God for something, but when we come before Him simply to worship, praise, and thank Him for who He is and for all He has done. Just to be with Him in friendship.

The same God who formed and established the earth is listening when you pray. And His invitation remains the same today as it was for Jeremiah thousands of years ago:

“Call to me and I will answer you.”

bytaylormcgee