We have already seen clearly that eating the Lord is the way to enjoy the Lord. Eating the Lord, which is a spiritual expression, is really calling on the Lord. Calling on the Lord is our way to enjoy the Lord. This light, this wonderful fact, was buried for many years among the Christians. For many generations, although many were seeking God, they did not see definitely that calling on the Lord’s name is the way to enjoy the Lord. If you read the whole Bible carefully, you will see that this matter of calling on the Lord was already there in the Old Testament; it began with Enosh, the third generation of mankind (Gen. 4:26). We have seen also in Lamentations 3:55-56 that our calling on the Lord is a heavenly breathing. When we call on the Lord’s name, we begin to exhale, and with the exhaling there is the inhaling. In this way of breathing, we take in the fresh air.
We can often use physical things as illustrations of spiritual matters. To enjoy the Lord in our spirit is like breathing the air physically. Just as your body takes in fresh air by breathing, so also your spirit inhales the Lord when you call on His name. I believe that all of us have had this experience. Whenever we truly open to the Lord and call on His name, we have the sense of the Lord’s presence within us. The more you call, the more you receive the supply of the Lord; the more you call, the more you are watered by Him; the more you call, the more you are filled with Him. The Lord is the Lord of all! When the Lord comes into us, whatever we need, He is. He is all that we need, and He supplies all of our needs.
In Deuteronomy Moses told the people of God that our God Jehovah is near all those who call on Him (4:7). Do you want God to be near to you? Do you want to have the presence of God? Then you must call on Him. Try it. Whether you are sitting at home, walking on the way, riding in a car, eating a meal, or even talking with people, when you call, “O Lord!” the Lord is right in front of you. This is neither superstition nor imagination. You must practice calling on the Lord!
The translation in the Chinese Bible of call on is pray. Actually, call on is closer to the meaning in the original language than pray. To call is not only to pray but also to call out with a loud voice. For example, if my house is on fire and I come to you to tell you about it and to ask for your help, this would be what it is like to pray. But if I call out loudly, “Fire! Fire! Come quickly!”, this is what it is like to call. Those who have the experience can testify that calling is more practical than praying. For instance, when a sister’s child is disobedient, she brings the child’s name before the Lord by calling. After thus calling on the Lord, whether or not the Lord answers her prayer is a secondary matter; the most important thing is that she has inhaled the Lord. In this way she is touched by the Lord from within, and she receives His supply. Every one of us must practice calling on the Lord!
I know that to this day many Christians can only pray but cannot call on the Lord. It is easy for them to pray silently, but it is very hard for them to call out audibly. I am concerned that even some of the brothers and sisters here at this time do not agree with calling. One time after I had spoken on the matter of calling in a certain locality, several sisters came to me, saying, “Brother Lee, is our God deaf that we have to call by shouting?” I told them, “Sisters, I don’t like to refute your argument, but I can tell you a fact: Call on the Lord and you will sense sweetness; call on the Lord and you will be watered; call on the Lord and you will touch Him! Would you like to try?” I also said to them, “If I argue on the ground of your way of reasoning, you will not win, because the Bible tells us that God knows our needs before we ask Him (Matt. 6:8). Shall we then not even pray? Therefore, we call loudly not because God is deaf but because it is profitable to us.”
Lamentations 3:55 says, “I called upon Your name, O Jehovah, / From the lowest pit.” When your wife gives you trouble at home, you get into a low pit. At such a time praying is of no avail; you need to call. If you call out loud a few times when you are pressed, you will be able to break through and rise above your feeling. Often your calling on the Lord’s name is for the demons to hear so that they can be driven off. When you are about to lose your temper, you have no time to pray, but you can quickly call on the Lord. Calling on the Lord is the best way to chase away the temper-losing demon and the trouble-making demon.