OK. Take out your phone. Open the contacts app. Now scan through it for the cell phone number you think OTHER people would most like to have? Maybe it is the private number for a local celebrity or athlete. Maybe it is the cell phone for a current member of congress or the leader of a major corporation. Maybe it is just the number that allows you to bypass all the artificial intelligence greeting system when you call AT&T customer support so you can talk directly to a real life human being. Go ahead and look. Which number is the hottest ticket in your contact list?
In my phone, it is probably a set of Pastors who have a national and international platform, who I have met over the years in various contexts. For many of you, these numbers mean nothing, but for a Pastor, I am surprised that I have their numbers. Only problem is … I NEVER CALL THEM. Not one time. Why? Even though I have their number, I don’t expect they would ever really want to hear from me.
Famous people are often removed from normal people. We know who the famous person is, but they don’t really know us … and we assume they would never really WANT to get to know us. Even if we wanted to make contact with them, we feel like a third party would need to be an intermediary to set up. “I’ll get in touch with his people, and they can let me know if he will accept my call.”
Now, I say all this, to focus our attention on a mind-blowing concept that we often either misunderstand or take for granted. Jesus Christ is the Creator of the Universe. He is the King of Kings. There is literally NO OTHER NAME in heaven or on earth that is greater than He is. If there is anyone out there who we would assume has a “private line” it is Jesus. Even after we came to faith in Christ, and someone told us we could pray to Him, we assume it is just like having a famous person’s number in our contact list. We are glad it is there, but we don’t think Jesus ever really wants to hear from us.
And yet …
Jesus is no ordinary famous person. He is accessible. In fact, He is the MOST accessible person in all the universe. I have to go someplace or use some electronic device just to talk to my wife … but Jesus is accessible simply by praying silently in my head! If we have trusted in Him, His number is on the contact list of our soul, and He is waiting for our call!!! He even says, “pray without ceasing” … so call anytime, day or night. And it is not just some second rate angel who answers, or a robo-answering service that we have to navigate through. We pray, He hears. And He will answer. Amazing.
All of this flows out of who Jesus really is. In His own words in Matthew 11:29, Jesus says that He is “lowly of heart.” When He says lowly, think humble accessibility. He has stooped to our level so that we might know Him.
This Sunday at Wildwood (November 14) in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 worship services, we will be talking more about “The King’s Heart” toward us in part two of our series. Last week we talked about the gentle heart of Jesus, and this week we will talk about the lowly heart of Jesus. Can’t wait to look at this passage with you all. Join us … and bring friends.
NOTE: Service is also available via livestream beginning at 9:45 AM on Sunday at wildwoodchurch.org/live