Jeremiah 33:2-3: Call and response

The Verse of Day for August 4, 2016 begins with a declaration of who God is and what He says in Jeremiah 33:2-3 (AMP):

“Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is His name, ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.’

Most remarkably, God can share great and unsearchable things because He is a great and mighty God. This magnificent portrait is repeated in Job 5:9 and 9:10 in the Holman Standard Bible:

He does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.

Indeed, the Psalmist declares:

Psalm 145:3 (NKJV)

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable

Job 36:26 in the Amplified Bible makes it plain as to who God really is:

Behold, God is great, and we know Him not! The number of His years is unsearchable.

As believers, all we have to do is call to Him, but Isaiah 65:24 reveals that God knows our heart’s desires and responds to our requests, even before we articulate what we need:

I will answer them before they even call to me. While they arJobe e still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!

I recall the lyrics to a gospel song that speaks of a problem that we can’t solve:

“While you’re trying to figure it out/God has already worked it out!”

To summarize the wonders of God’s matchless ways which seem so far above all that our finite minds can comprehend, take a look at Romans 11:33 in the Amplified Bible:

Romans 11:33

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)!

To tap in the depths of these riches, to access to the unsearchable, we simply have to ask, knowing that God will answer.

In reflecting on the Verse of the Day, I thought of the expression “Call and response.” In music, particularly in jazz which incorporates improvisation, we find a technique labeled “call and response,” whereby a musician issues a phrase or line, and another player answers with a phrase or comment in response. The same technique is also seen in other areas of African American culture involving speakers, such as preachers or ministers of the gospel or worship leaders who issue a series of calls, and the audience, the congregation, or group being addressed answers with responses.

In the case of the Verse of the Day, believers are instructed to issue a call to God and in return He responds with an answer whereby He demonstrates or displays His mighty power. Our response to His response is to confirm what God declares with a hearty “Amen!”

Listen to this innovative teaching from Marler Media of Jeremiah 33:3 as God’s Emergency Number:

The Seeds Family offer this Worship Song based on Jeremiah 33:3:

He has done marvelous things

From Isaiah 25:1 in the Amplified Bible comes the Verse of the Day for March 6, 2016:

[Song of Praise for God’s Favor] O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will praise and give thanks to Your name; For You have done miraculous things, Plans formed long, long ago, [fulfilled] with perfect faithfulness.

 

Similar words of praise to God flow from the Psalms and other places throughout the Scriptures that speak of the works of God, described as “wonderful, causing wonder or astonishing, miraculous, supernatural, of the highest kind or quality, notably superior.” These “marvelous” attributes belong to God who is so described in the following verses:

Psalm 40:5:

Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare

Psalm 98:1:

A psalm. Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

From 1 Chronicles 16:11-12 in the Amplified Bible also come these words from a Psalm of Thanksgiving:

Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face continually [longing to be in His presence].

Remember [with gratitude] His marvelous deeds which He has done,
His miracles and the judgments from His mouth,

1 Chronicles 16:24 (AMP) goes on to say:

Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all peoples.

Job 5:9 and Job 9:10 express this same profound truth about the God and His power:

Who does great things, [beyond understanding,] unfathomable, yes, marvelous and wondrous things without number.

Psalm 31:21:

Blessed be the Lord, for He has shown His marvelous favor and lovingkindness to me [when I was assailed] in a besieged city.

Psalm 96:3 (AMP):

Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works and wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

From Psalm 118:23 (AMP) come these familiar words echoed by Jesus Christ in the Gospels:

This is from the Lord and is His doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

We close out our comments with Fred Hammond, who reminds us: “O Give Thanks unto the Lord” with the refrain “He has done marvelous things.”