Instant Access

What marvels the ads for the new cell phones offer! Access — instant access — anywhere, anytime. (Of course, there must be a phone at the other end!) But — instant? One may be able to “call home” across the continent from a moving car or plane or while hiking in the woods, but try a simple call to an office in the same city!
You will probably meet the familiar “press one —press two” set of choices, followed by a long and tiresome explanation of what a great company you have reached, interrupted by a different voice insisting, “Your call is important to us; please hold.” Contrast that with the clear promise in the Word of God, “Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:2424And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. (Isaiah 65:24)). Incredible! “Before they call,” the answer is on its way. Then “while they are yet speaking,” He hears. There is no “voice mail” — nothing between the listening God and the praying soul. Truly, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-98For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8‑9)).
Then there is Caller ID. A glance at the ringing phone and one knows whether to pick it up and say, “Hi!” or, if the number is strange to you, just ignore the call.
God has Caller ID too. He says of His own, “I know them  .  .  .  ” and their calls reach Him at once. But there are others to whom He will one day sadly say, “I know you not.  .  .  .  Depart from Me.”
And then, your new cell phone must be “activated.” It is not enough to have the phone and to know all about its use — what buttons to push, what procedures to follow — you must have it “activated.” That is somewhat equivalent to “connection” for wired phones. Otherwise, the phone will be just dead and useless.
That is most important and so easy! The Lord Jesus paid the “activation fee” when He gave His life on the cross of Calvary. Now one simply has to accept — believe and receive — His sacrifice personally, that is, for yourself, for “as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:1212But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12)). The activation — the connection — the power is now the right of every believer, with all the everlasting benefits that accompany it.
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-21Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1‑2)).