By calling on the name of the Lord we can stir up ourselves. Isaiah 64:7 says, "And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee." When we feel that we are down or low, we can lift and stir ourselves up by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus.
Now we need to consider how we should call on the Lord. Firstly, we must call on Him out of a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22). Our heart, which is the source, must be pure, seeking nothing but the Lord Himself. Secondly, we must call with a pure lip (Zeph. 3:9, Heb.). We need to watch our speech, for nothing contaminates our lips more than loose talk. If our lips are impure due to loose talk, it will be difficult for us to call on the Lord. Along with a pure heart and pure lips, we need to have an open mouth (Psa. 81:10; cf. v. 7). We need to open our mouth wide to call on the Lord. Furthermore, we need to call on the Lord corporately. Second Timothy 2:22 says, "Flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." We need to come together for the purpose of calling on the name of the Lord. Psalm 88:9 says, "Lord, I have called daily upon thee." Hence, we should call daily upon His name. This matter of calling on the name of the Lord is not a doctrine. It is very practical. We need to practice it daily and hourly. We should never stop breathing. We all know what happens when breathing ceases. Furthermore, Psalm 116:2 says, "Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live." As long as we live we should call on the name of the Lord. I hope that many more of the Lord's people, especially the new ones, will begin this practice of calling on the Lord. If you do it, you will see that it is the best way to enjoy the Lord's riches.
Ever since the matter of calling on the name of the Lord has become an item in the Lord's recovery, some people have checked with me, "Is not the Lord within us? Why do you need to say that the Lord is near you when you call?" I have a question to address to those who think that we do not need to call on the Lord since He is already within us. Do you not have breath within you? Since the breath is already within you, why do you still need to breathe? The logic of this question is the same as that pertaining to calling on the Lord when He is already within us. Although it may sound logical to say that we need not call on Him since He already indwells us, it is not practical. No one would practice this with respect to breathing. No one would say that since the breath is in us we no longer need to breathe. We must keep breathing in order to exist. Likewise, the Lord is in us, but we still need to call on Him and breathe Him in the more.
Others have asked, "Why do you call so loudly? Is our God deaf? Can't He hear our silent prayer?" They argue that since the Lord is not deaf, we need not to pray loudly by calling on Him. However, look at how the Lord prayed as described in Hebrews 5:7. "Who in the days of his flesh, having offered up petitions and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him who was able to save Him out of death, and having been heard because of His piety." The "strong crying" in this verse surely is not a silent prayer. If you complain about those who call on the Lord loudly, you need to ask the Lord Jesus why He prayed with strong crying. Since God the Father is not deaf, why did the Lord pray in that way? Moreover, at least twice in the Gospel of John the Lord Jesus said that He was not alone, that the Father was always with Him (16:32; 8:29). Since the Father was continually with Him, why did He need to cry out strongly in prayer to the Father?
Furthermore, several times in the Psalms we are told to make a joyful noise to the Lord (66:1; 81:1; 95:1, 2; 98:4, 6; 100:1). Notice that it does not say a joyful voice, but a joyful noise. We all know the difference between a voice and a noise. We need to make a joyful noise to the Lord, for the Lord likes to hear such a noise.
Nevertheless, the real issue is not whether or not God hears us. The point is that we need to exercise our spirit, releasing what is in our spirit and on our heart, that the Lord as the life-giving Spirit may get into us. It is not a matter of being heard, but of enjoying the Lord and participating in all His riches. My burden and intention in this message are simply to give an account of the Bible regarding the matter of calling on the Lord. If you consider what the Bible says about calling on the Lord, you will be convinced that calling on His name is not a recent invention. It is a recovery of one of the holy things in the Bible. As we have seen from Genesis 4:26, calling on the name of the Lord began thousands of years ago, even from the third generation of mankind.