Heaven's Heartbeat - Help (Jesus on the Mainline)

Prayer, at times, is akin to a 911 call to Jesus.

It’s urgent, demanding immediate attention. Consider Numbers 12:13 when Moses cried out to the Lord for his sister, Miriam: “Please, God, heal her!”

Or David in Psalm 12:1, “Help, Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing!”

Or how about Peter in Matthew 14:30 as he slipped beneath the waves? “Lord, save me!”

There are times of crisis when the only English word we need (or have time for) is help!

Many words aren’t needed. What is needed are sincere, to-the-point calls and cries to God for His outstretched arm and mighty hand to help us.

What about the two blind men in Matthew 20:31, who were essentially told to “shut up” and not cry out to Jesus in their desperate need? “Be silent!” the crowd yelled at them. But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

When King Jehoshaphat saw his city surrounded by a barbarian horde, he didn’t call a committee meeting; he cried out to the Lord: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” 2 Chronicles 20:12 (NIV). This story reminds us to call on Jesus in urgent situations, reassuring us that even when we don’t know what to do, we can keep our eyes on the Lord and find help and hope.

The last years of my mom’s life were challenging and painful. On one occasion, my nephew Andy and his wife Stephanie visited Mom. She had become weakened, in a helpless state, and was in obvious distress. It was an awful situation, so Stephanie stayed with Mom while Andy went to the front desk to let them know the circumstances.

They said they would send someone up, but there was no sense of urgency. Andy waited for almost 30 minutes, but no one showed up to help.

He returned to the nurse’s desk twice more, and the staff waved him off, saying, “Someone is on the way.”  They seemed annoyed with Andy for bothering them.

After 20 more minutes without help or response, Andy pulled the emergency alarm.

That got their attention, and a number of staff raced into the room. When they saw that it wasn’t a life-or-death emergency, they scolded Andy for pulling the alarm. He calmly told them they had been waiting for almost an hour, and it was an emergency for his grandma.

There are many voices today (and some inside your own head) that may belittle or minimize the need for prayer. That’s probably about the time you should be looking for the emergency alarm. It’s time to raise your voice and not be silent.

When Nancy and I pastored an urban church, our day-to-day lives were filled with inner-city problems and opportunities. We often needed help figuring out what to do or where to turn for help. In those times of testing, we were being trained to call upon the Name of the Lord.

One of the songs we often sang, usually during the Sunday evening worship service, was “Jesus on the Mainline,” written by Rev. Edward W. Clayborn and published in 1922. This song turned into a powerful time of prayer for the whole church. With its simple yet potent message, it became a reminder for us to always turn to Jesus in times of need. If you have a 911 emergency, a doctor can help, and an ambulance is necessary, but there will be times and seasons when the only direction you can look is up, so remember:

“Jesus is on the mainline; tell Him what you want.

Jesus is on the mainline; tell Him what you want.

Jesus on the mainline, tell Him what you want,

Just call Him up and tell Him what you want.”

Listen to Randy Travis’ version of "Jesus on the Mainline" below:

Go ahead call Him up, cry out for help, and pull the emergency alarm. You have his attention, and He will never scold you.

- Micah