Psalm 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

As I opened up my bible application this morning, this appeared as the verse for the day. When I saw it, a scene from an old western played out in my mind.

A man dressed in his Sunday best with a bouquet of flowers announces to his friend, “I intend to call upon the widow Johnson.” It is obvious that his intention is to declare his love for her.

What if you were to call upon the Lord with those same intentions? What if, rather than crying out from your pain, despair, or need you were to call upon the Lord to declare your love for Him?

I looked to the meaning of this phrase in BLB.ORG to understand the original intent and I discovered something very interesting.

A primitive root [rather identical with H7122] through the idea of accosting a person met.

Personally I would rather be greeted with flowers than with a photo of a perceived injustice and be yelled at “What are you going to do about this?”

My God is a big God and able to see through the pain and know what is at the root of every matter and what needs to be done. Granted God is good, all the time. But what about us?

What does it say about our love for God if we lead off every conversation with complaining? I don’t want to constantly see myself as that little boy running home to mommy crying because I got an ouchy on the playground.

1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

My intentions when calling upon the Lord is one of them.

Isaiah 60:21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

John 13:32 If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.

Romans 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

2 Corinthians 1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;

2 Corinthians 13:3 Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you.

Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Ephesians 1:17-18 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Colossians 1:26-29 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

May your ears hear! Amen