Devotion Written By Dianna Hobbs // EEW Magazine Online // Encouragement

The Hobbs children are great with technology. Me? Not so much. Even though my husband bought me a new iPhone last year, beyond the basics of calling and texting, I don’t know how to do much else on it. My teens, on the other hand, are constantly giving their cell phones commands and utilizing cool features.

So, the other day, I decided that I would try out Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant that follows voice commands, since I never use that feature on my phone. I picked up my iPhone, held it to my mouth and said, “Siri.”

And…nothing.

Hmmm, that’s odd, I thought and tried again.

“Siri,” I said louder and waited.

Again…nothing.

I was confused and assumed I needed to say it even louder, so I yelled at my phone, “SIRI!”

Again…nothing.

I was seconds away from reaching peak levels of frustration when my cool-as-a-cucumber husband Kenya walked into the room and calmly stated, “You have to say, ‘Hey Siri.’”

“Oh, really?” I said and put his advice to the test.

“Hey Siri,” I said. And what do you know? My iPhone responded to me, and Kenya and I both laughed at my aggravation and ignorance of something that is commonly known by (most) smartphone users. Kenya doesn’t even have an iPhone (He is an Android lover!), and even he knows how to work my phone better than me.

Shame, shame.

Well, after Siri obeyed my command to turn the flash light on and then off, I wondered why it was necessary to say hey before saying Siri in order to get a response. Even though I wasn’t curious enough to do any research to discover why, that little ordeal did make me think about something else: I am so glad that all we have to do is call on the name of Jesus, and He answers!

There is no special formula we must use; we only need to say His name, and He hears and answers. Even when we pray, Scripture says we shouldn’t babble on, thinking we will be heard because of the many words we say. If we simply go into our secret closet and shut the door, God, who sees in secret, will reward us openly (Matthew 6:6-7). Our manner of speaking isn’t important to the Lord; it is the sincerity of our heart that matters.

While it is true that Jesus gives us an effective model for prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, precisely using the words in The Lord’s Prayer is not required for God to hear us. Romans 8:26 tells us that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and interprets our wordless groans. So then, when you and I can’t fully articulate what we need or clearly express our ideas, God yet knows what’s in our heart and what we need, even before we ask (Matthew 6:8).

Years ago, I got into a car wreck. When I saw the vehicle coming toward me, it was happening so fast, all I could yell out was, “Jesus!” In that moment, that was my prayer. I didn’t have time to get fancy or craft a well-worded plea. I just called on the name that is above every other name, and He heard me and spared my life.

Friend, when you are in distress and going through something hard, simply call on the name of Jesus. There is power in that name; healing in that name; deliverance in that name; breakthrough in that name; peace in that name; salvation in that name; everything you need is in that name. When you call on Jesus, He answers, simple as that.

Unlike what I did with Siri on my iPhone, we don’t give Him commands. We call Jesus, and He gives out the commands. He commands the storm to cease; the disease to be healed; the way to be made; the door to be opened; the shackles to be loosed; and the stronghold to be broken.

Invite Him into your situation—whatever it is—and He will command things to change for the better. Today, I’m stirring Psalm 145:18 NIV into your cup of inspiration, which says, “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

As you drink down the contents of your cup, remember, you have power at your disposal. And the key to activating that power is using one name: Jesus. When you call on Him in sincerity and truth, He makes Himself available and shifts things in your favor according to His will.

This devotion was used by permission from Dianna Hobbs’ “Your Daily Cup of Inspiration.” For more great encouragement like this, visit her official blog here.