Five Invitations - Day 7

DAY 7 - The First Step
Ephesians 2:8-10 

How do we start talking to God?

God helps by getting the conversation warmed up. Jeremiah says, “The word of the LORD came to me” (1:4). God took the first step toward Jeremiah. God opened the back and forth.

Prayer always starts with God. God’s always taking the first step in our relationship together. We call that prevenient grace. God arouses our spiritual interest. The Lord makes it possible for us to answer and to stumble along the Way of Jesus. God seeks us before we ever seek God. In fact, God’s grace makes it possible for us to even seek God.

But look again at Jeremiah: God’s call begins long before now! The Lord says, “I took my first steps toward you long ago, Jeremiah. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (v.5).

When we found out we were having our first child, we did everything we could to know him even before his birth. We talked to him, prayed for him, and made room in our house. We reached out to him before he could willingly reach out to us.

God does the same in a more profound way. Everything depends on God, on God taking the first step. Everything is grace. Moses told the Israelites in Deuteronomy not to forget God when they tasted blessings in the Promised Land. “The LORD your God gives you the ability to produce wealth” (Dt 8:18, NIV). Grace. African bishop, Augustine of Hippo, latched onto Paul’s question in 1 Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive?” Nothing! It’s all grace! Prayer starts with God’s invitation.

The apostle Paul says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast."

God doesn’t revoke our invitation either. No take-backs! God keeps inviting Jeremiah to connect all life long. God’s there when things are good under King Josiah. God’s there when trouble starts under King Jehoiakim. God’s there as Babylonian soldiers burn Jerusalem to cinders under King Zedekiah. God’s there during the long years of exile. God’s there even when Jeremiah’s not sure he wants God to be there. God keeps calling  you, too, no matter what you've done or what's happening in life.

Don’t be afraid to talk to God. You don’t need “the right words” to pray. You need honesty and an open heart. God’s already taken the first step. And God will be there with you every step of the way. You can trust God. Accept his invitation to pray.

REFLECT:
Do you ever have trouble praying? If so, what is the cause?

PRAY:
Thank you, Lord, for taking the first step toward me. Thank you for grace. Everything I have is your free gift. Help me to grow in prayer. Amen.