What a pleasant surprise!

Of all the sounds that I hear as I answer my cell phone, a grandchild’s voice is one of the sweetest sounds I know.

The words “Hi Papaw” just seems to sort everything out no matter where my mind was previously focused.

Regardless of that, I was dealing with to that point in the day, everything just seems to slow down and get better when I hear their sweet voice. It truly is a pleasant surprise.

Now, I am convinced that every grandparent will readily agree with this. I know this because they have told me and I will even go so far as to say that the smile on your face as you read these words reveals your agreement as well. That is, if you are a grandparent.

This causes me to wonder if the incredible joy I experienced in my heart as I hear their voices in any way resembles our heavenly father’s joy when we call out to Him?

I believe that God longs to know that he is on our mind that we are thinking of him.

To think that a darling little grandchild took time from playing with whatever was occupying their mind and their time to call their old grandpa miles away touches my heart.

C. S. Lewis once said, “The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.”

In other words, we must daily make the effort, to push aside the incidentals so that we may put first things first and reach out first and foremost to our creator who is worthy of all our focus and attention.

I also believe that God desires to know that we trust in him in the good times and in time of trouble.

Probably the most quoted of all Old Testament written is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attend unto the prayer that is made in this place.”

That little boy and girl may not realize it now, but if she was in trouble I would move heaven and earth to get to her and do whatever humanly possible to help and protect her.

That being said, how much more will the God of heaven be our help and protection when we truly call on His name?

Sir George Adam Smith tells how he and his guide were climbing the Weisshorn in the Swiss Alps.

It was stormy and they were making their climb on the sheltered side of the peak. When they reached the summit, they were filled with the exhilaration.

Sir George forgot about the fierce winds, leaped up and was nearly blown over the edge to the glacier below.The guide grabbed hold of him and said: “On your knees, sir. You are safe here only on your knees.”

Lastly, I believe that God wants to hear our voice especially when our lives are going well.

The apostle Peter tells us, “They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

It is so very easy to depend upon God when we have nowhere else to turn, but what about when the skies are blue, when you feel great and there is money in the bank?

God is still there and still worthy of our praise and attention.

It is absolutely amazing to me that the one who has not only created and protected us is just as interested in hearing our voice in the good times as in the bad.

From Today in the Word, we find this wisdom, “Early African converts to Christianity were earnest and regular in private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God.

Over time the paths to these places became well worn.

As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others.

They would kindly remind the negligent one, ‘Brother, the grass grows on your path.’”

May our personal devotion time and prayer life as men and women of God be more than just a pleasant surprise to our Father in Heaven, but an example of commitment displayed in our daily walk with God shaping our precious grandchildren’s lives so powerfully that they become devoted followers of Jesus Christ as well.

That’s more than a pleasant surprise.

Tim Throckmorton is the national director of Family Resource Council’s Community Impact Teams.