Victoria and I get a lot of phone calls during the day here at the ministry, and unfortunately, we don’t have time to take most of them. Our staff is well able to handle most issues for us, but there are two calls that we will always take without exception. I could be in the middle of an important meeting; I could have a thousand things left on my schedule, but when these two people call, no matter what I’m doing or who I’m with, I’m going to step aside and take that call. That’s our two children, Jonathan and Alexandra. They have 24-hour access. When they call, no matter what, I’m going to respond.

That’s the way God is with His children. When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you become a part of God’s family. He literally adopts you as His very own. You can call on your heavenly Father anytime, and He will always be there to take your call. He won’t put you on hold. You won’t get a recording. You won’t be transferred to a call center overseas. As God’s child, you have a direct hotline to heaven. You have direct access. He will always stop what He is doing and be right there to take your call.

I hear people say, “Well, Joel, since you’re closer to God, would you pray for me and talk to God for me?” I appreciate their respect, but the truth is if you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you’re just as much a child of God as I am. You don’t have to go through a third party. Of course, I would love to pray for you, but you don’t have to come through me, or your priest, or your bishop or another saint who’s already in heaven. You can go directly to God for yourself. Because of the blood of Jesus, you’ve got a direct hotline to heaven, and God will always take your call!

When my children call me during the day, and I see their name come up on the caller ID, something on the inside of me comes alive. I smile before I even talk. They bring joy to my spirit. In the same way, when you call on God, you bring a smile to His face. He says, “Wow! That’s My son. That’s My daughter. I can’t wait to talk to them!”

God longs to hear from you and He wants you to know Him as Father. That’s why when Jesus taught us how to pray in the Lord’s Prayer, He didn’t say, “Start it off by saying, ‘Oh, great, holy, majestic, Creator of the universe.'” He is all that, but Jesus said, “When you pray, address God like this, ‘Our Father….'” He wanted us to see God as our personal, loving Father, someone who is right there close to us, listening to what we have to say and guiding us through life.

Today, remember, when you call on Father God, He hears you. He is listening. He is waiting for you and expecting you, so be bold and call upon His name today!