“Why do you call me Lord…?”
“What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words, by God himself.” – Blaise Pascal, Pensées
The quote from Blaise Pascal has often been famously reframed as saying that there is a “God-shaped hole in everyone.” It is a desire, an emptiness, a longing left undone until filled by the one and only thing that satisfies: God. There is no doubt that every person now living and throughout history has sought after that which satisfies.
In Luke 6:46, Jesus begins His question with, “Why do you call me Lord…?” He follows with the acknowledgment that the first step was coming to Him in the first place (vs. 47). Peter, Jesus’ disciple, answers in John 6:68, “Lord, to whom [else] shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” It is only God who satisfies the curious longing of our hearts.
But Jesus’ question in Luke 6:46 doesn’t stop at our acknowledgment of who He is, but continues, “… and do not do what I say?” It naturally follows that when we come to Jesus and acknowledge Him as God, we will obey His commandments and teachings.
Jesus likens those who acknowledge Him as Lord but don’t obey to a man whose house is swept away by a rushing river because its foundation lacks strength. But those who follow His teachings are like a man who dug deep and laid his foundation on the rock.
May we be the people of God, saved by the grace of God, who dig deep into God’s Words, committed to God’s commands, demonstrating God’s love, with lives held fast by our obedience to the truths of God.
Why else would we call Him Lord?
Prayer Prompts:
- Ask God for the desire and courage to read and apply His Word daily
- Invite God to show you new things about Himself
- Praise Him for His faithful love for you