The Murmur

“Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the LORD; and when the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the LORD and the fire died out.” Numbers 11:1-2

God’s character doesn’t evolve with every passing generation. He is not some weary parent whose will to discipline His children weakens with the arrival of every newborn into the family. Holy God responds with righteous anger to fever pitched rebellion or low-grade murmuring. He won’t hear it, but He will judge it.

The fire of God’s judgment met the mind numbing murmuring of millions of ungrateful people. The people turned to Moses for relief. Moses turned to God in prayer. This is the purpose of adversity. It is meant to increase humility, not generate complaining.

Scandals in Washington, terror in the streets, financial worries, and personal tragedy can generate a great deal of verbiage. Cable networks, mainstream media, and bloviating bloggers fill the air and barrage the brain with endless complaining chatter.

There is no discernment expressed by those who know what the temperature is. Discernment is found in those who know how to change the thermostat. Complaining about the heat, and changing the climate are two different things. One requires the urge to express a personal opinion. The other is gained by seeking the face of God.

Leadership for a family, a church or a nation requires one thing, a fundamental fear of the judgment of God. Prayerful leaders find their vision and hearing improved. They see what God sees, and hear what God hears. They warn the people of the dangers ahead, and the consequences of rebellious behavior.

The people of Israel knew more about slavery than they knew about freedom. With their new found freedom, they discovered their voice. It was a complaining one. The Hebrew word for the sound that reached God’s ears can be translated as murmur or groan. He didn’t like it then, and He isn’t fond of it now. Stop it.

Murmur enters the English language virtually unchanged from the Latin expression “murmur or murmuris.” In any language it sounds the same to God. He hates the low noise, mutter, roar, growl, grunt, rumble, whisper, rustle, hum or buzz of complaining.

On a positive note, murmuring does get God’s attention, but those who murmur soon discover they are like a moth to a flame. Spoiled brats love to stand in the spotlight, but when they murmur before God, they invite God to bring the heat, not the light.

Murmuring takes the same energy as praying, but it does not bear the same fruit as praying. People who are determined to live in the negative tense will never discover anything positive to say about God or to Him. Remember this. Murmuring is heard by God, but is not appreciated. It is judged.

Humility differentiates praying from murmuring. Prayerful people are humble people. Prayerless people are complaining, prideful spoiled brats. The prayerful and the prayerless both pour out their hearts to God, and they are each heard by God. The sweet fruit of the prayerful is grace. The bitter fruit of the prayerless is judgment. Different fruit, indeed.

Judgment begins at the house of God. It always has, and it still does. In the face of any crisis, the church must lead the way to the face of God. Turning a nation around is not a matter of taking a nation back, but turning a nation back to God.

“The true church lives and moves and has its being in prayer.” Leonard Ravenhill

NOTE TO SELF: Entering into The Presence of God has always required an intercessor. The people of Israel had Moses. You have Jesus. When you enter into The Presence of God in the name of Jesus, do so with humility. You have no access and no voice before The Father, without the validation of your family relationship by The Son. Don’t confuse family with familiarity. Familiarity breeds contempt. Humility breeds family. Stop murmuring. Start praying.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Trumpets

“The Lord spoke further to Moses,…” Numbers 10:1

This simple statement provides a picture of a relationship between a man of prayer and his God. It is often overlooked in the rush to describe the two significant silver trumpets Moses would have made, at God’s command, “for summoning the congregation.” (V. 2)

Persistent prayer is marked by consistent, continuous conversation with God. It is accented by immediate obedience to the clear commands of God. This is the essence of prayer.

Spending time with God, listening to God, enjoying His Presence, basking in His glory to hear further from God is the spirit of prayer. When you pray, God has more to say to you than you can possible imagine. As He did with Moses, He desires to speak further with you. Listen longer to Him.

The words of the couple on The Road to Emmaus give a New Testament picture of this spirit of prayer. After walking with and listening to Jesus on a seven-mile walk, Jesus acted as if He would go further. They urged Him, “Stay with us!”  Luke 24:29

The two silver trumpets were hugely important to the spiritual health of the congregation. Nothing is ever more important than knowing God desires to speak truth into you more than you want to receive it. God spoke further to Moses. He desires to speak further to you.  Prayer prepares your heart to hear.

The trumpets played a significant role in the development of the spiritual welfare of the people, and in the spiritual warfare they would face when attacked by the enemy.

“…you shall sound and alarm with trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God and be saved from your enemies.” V. 9

The Trumpets were to be used to call an assembly, but to also remember that the battle is the Lord’s and He is the one who would save them from their enemies. The Trumpets were a reminder for the people not to trust in their assembled might to defeat their enemies, but to place their fear of the enemy “before the Lord your God and be saved.”

Prayerless people are prideful people, and fearful people. God’s people are not alone. They are not wayfaring orphans. They are under the protection of Almighty God. The Trumpets were sounded to remind the people of Israel about the constant watch-care God provides for His children. As the sound of the trumpets hit their ears, they would be reminded of God, and remained under the protection of God.

“…they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the LORD your GOD.” V. 10

The prayer of Moses was a rallying cry for the people more than a wakeup call for God. Before the people of Israel moved towards the enemy, The Trumpets would be sounded, and they would be comforted and encouraged by God taking the lead.

“Rise up, O LORD! And let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You.” V. 35

No matter how large the assembled army appeared to be, or how great the victory over the enemy would become, there was only one thing that mattered to Moses. The Trumpets reminded the people God watched over them day and night, and He fought for them in the middle of the fight. God wanted the people to know He goes out with them to the battle, and returns with them to the camp.

“Return, O LORD, to the myriad thousands of Israel.” V. 36

Humble, God-saturated prayer results from lingering in His Presence and listening to His voice. Prayer sounds The Trumpets in the heart and soul of warriors and reminds them they never fight alone, and the enemy is no match for their God.

NOTE TO SELF: On the road to the next Great Awakening there are many unknown ambushes, and hidden landmines already placed in your path by the enemy. Never forget this. God goes before you to face the enemy, and He remains with you to protect those you love. Between “Rise up” and “Return” God is always with you. Praying your way through enemy attacks or friendly fire will give you a sense of God’s Presence like nothing else can.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Invocation

“The LORD bless you, and keep you; The LORD make His face to shine on you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.’ So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.”
Numbers 6:24-27

The LORD gave Moses a blessing to pass on to Aaron and his sons, and they were to pass it on to the sons of Israel. (v.23) The blessing began in the heart of God, and the words define His character. The human language has rarely contained so much truth in so few words.

When a meeting is held in the name of Jesus and for the honor and glory of God, nothing quenches the Spirit like turning the spotlight off of God, and onto the program personalities. Perhaps nothing does this more effectively than the use of prayer as a platform to grab a little face time with the crowd, rather than turn the faces of the people toward the face of God.

I will never forget the time a preacher was called on to give The Invocation at a meeting I attended in Austin, Texas. He took 20 minutes to tell us about his family connection with Davy Crocket. Even for Texans this was a stretch of holy hubris.

When it comes to prayer, the focus is always on the face of God, not your family tree or the fruit of your own labors. Pointing people anywhere else is not prayerful intercession. It is prideful rebellion. Stop it!

The blessing was not a few magic words meant to be spoken over the people of Israel to relieve them from their own responsibility of seeking a personal relationship with God. In the past Moses had revealed the power of God through the use of his staff. The Invocation pointed them to their need for personal intimacy with God.  They would find it by seeking His face, not leaning on a staff.

The words reveal The Lord as the primary source for all the people of Israel needed to know about restoring intimacy with Him. When the people found themselves in need of the blessing of God, they could invoke His name and seek His face to restore a right relationship with Him.

Moses spoke to God face to face. The people had seen the countenance of his face reflect the glory of The LORD. God’s heart is full of blessing and favor. The words of blessing He gave to Moses opened the door for the people to experience Him, not just to endure a religion about Him.

God offered to them intimacy with Him they had never known. He offered blessing to them, if they would turn their faces to Him. Sadly, the people of Israel would trade His offer of a face-to-face relationship with Him for a religion about Him. It would be no blessing. It never is.

There is a growing cry rising from the hearts of the people of this nation, calling on God for a Great Awakening. The obvious need for a turnaround has led millions to pray to God for something only He can give. This is a great first step towards the face of God.

These prayers for Awakening are heard, but the answer will be hastened by a clear understanding of what has caused the need for a fresh movement of God. God’s people are experiencing the result of decades of rebellious activity carried out in His name, without an intimacy with His Presence.

Religious Liberty always becomes a victim when genuine, God-focused worship is replaced by self-centered, man-made religion.  When those who say they worship God, do not reflect the countenance of God, they lose their passion in the pulpits and the pews, and are soon forced from the public square.

“Nothing would turn the nation back to God so surely and so quickly as a Church that prayed and prevailed. The world will never believe in a religion in which there is no supernatural power. A rationalized faith, a socialized Church, and a moralized gospel may gain applause, but they awaken no conviction and win no converts.” Samuel Chadwick

NOTE TO SELF: Judgment begins at the house of God. Any passion you have for an Awakening did not begin in your heart. Awakening begins in God’s heart. He is seeking you. Turn your face towards Him. He longs to be gracious to you. Don’t wait for a crowd to turnaround. God is calling you. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. The Spirit longs to give you peace. Let Him.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Tent

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting…’Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel…”

The census was not a matter of counting nickels and noses to establish bragging rights over the church down the street. The LORD called on Moses to count the people to prepare an army for war.

One of the slogans of the church growth movement is, “We count people, because people count.” The contemporary church has done a good job counting people who show up for services. They have not done as good a job at training them for war.

Pastors love to count people who come to hear them preach. They often discover not all the people they count can be counted on to go to war. It is one thing to count people. It is another thing to train people who can be counted on.

“Until the church utilizes prayer as the world class weapon in the battle against evil, there will be little hope of a turnaround.”
George Barna

Humility is the first step in any successful march to victory in Spiritual Warfare. God calls on His people who are called by His name to humble themselves in The Presence of God.

“My people who are called by My name, humble themselves.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Moses sought God in “the tent of meeting.” He was in the right place at the right time. He was humble enough to enter. He stayed long enough to hear and to obey the voice of God.

When Moses heard the voice of God, he obeyed what He heard, the first time he heard it. He didn’t’ seek a second opinion, or do a word study to determine if God really meant what He said.

Delayed obedience on the part of a leader is a clear sign of a rebellious heart. What the leader does in moderation, the people will do in excess. Moses did not delay. He obeyed.

“So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name, and they assembled all the congregation together ...just as the Lord had commanded Moses.” V. 17-19

There are two vital lessons on prayer to be learned from the life of Moses. He fleshed them out between, “The Lord spoke” and his completion of the task “Just as the Lord had commanded…”

Moses sought God’s face in “the tent of meeting” for one purpose, to hear from Him. This is the first fundamental priority of prayer. The primary purpose of prayer is to put an intercessor in the right position to hear from God, not to talk to Him.

Secondly, when Moses heard from God, he immediately obeyed God.  The Hebrew language is rich in meaning when it comes to the expression of hearing and obeying. The words hearing and obeying are virtually interchangeable.

The Hebrew word, “shama,”contains the concepts of listening, hearing, and obeying.  In short, to hear God speak leaves no other option to choose or any other opinion to heed. When Moses left The Tent, he obeyed what God said. Anything less than immediate obedience would have been rebellion towards God. It still is.

Moses did not go into The Tent to give God instruction. He went there to be brought into alignment with God’s plan for his life. He left with a commission, and he carried it out, “just as the LORD had commanded.”

NOTE TO SELF:  Your intercession begins with a deep desire to seek God’s face. You should seek Him where He may be found. Moses went to “The Tent of Meeting.” You should know where your tent is.  Moses came out of The Wilderness and into The Tent. You should too. Staying in The Wilderness is not a path to success in the battle against evil. When you pray, you are not calling in reinforcements. You are joining God’s army for the fight of your life.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Calling

“Then the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting.” Leviticus 1:1

Before the structure for worship was put in place, God called Moses to meet with Him face to face. Prayer has always been God’s idea. What God initiates, He intends to perpetuate within a climate of prayer.

Prayerless religious activity may produce institutions for God, but it will never create intimacy with God. Prayer begins by listening and responding to the voice of God.

I have a radio in my car. It offers me an opportunity to connect with unseen voices all over the country. It will provide me with music, weather reports, traffic information, endless political commentary and at times a little entertainment.

Radio waves are constantly flowing through the air from faraway places. As I drive around the country, I cannot detect the signals that are carrying the message unless I am tuned in to the specific station that is sending them. When it comes to prayer, the old Gospel Music song says it all, “Turn Your Radio On.” God is always calling. Are you listening?

Though prayer is not specifically mentioned in Leviticus, one has to believe the climate of prayer was meant by God to be the air each worshipper breathed. Believing prayer breathes fresh life into every act of worship.

“It seems strange that a book that dealing almost exclusively of the way of approach to God, does not mention prayer.” Dr. Herbert Lockyer

God invited worshippers to enter into The Tabernacle. Again, prayer and praise was never a good idea devised by man. Prayer and praise has always been God’s idea offered to man.

The first verse of Leviticus sets the stage for what was to follow. God called Moses to come to Him, and then provided a structure for the people to enter into communication with Him.

God intended for the people to obey the commands He gave to Moses and to enter into The Tabernacle in order to embrace Him, not a religion.

“It seems strange that a book that dealing almost exclusively of the way of approach to God, does not mention prayer.” Dr. Herbert Lockyer

One of the great learning curves of ministry is the capacity to work for a church and still worship God. In January 1975 I was invited to serve on the staff of a local church, while a student in Seminary. It was a great honor, but it also proved to be a great challenge. Let me explain.

The place where I had been worshipping became the place where I was now working. Previously, I enjoyed the Sunday only relationship I had with the people. Working for them involved rubbing shoulders with them everyday. Like any personal relationship, there were times the increased contact brought intense friction. After a few months, going to church on Sunday felt more like work than worship. Can I get a witness?

By the time Jesus entered into His public ministry, the people of Israel had turned The Tabernacle in the wilderness, into a The Temple in the city. The Tabernacle of worship had degenerated into a Temple Cult. The instrument designed for the worship of God became an institutionalized idol for the benefit of man. Jesus was not pleased with the changes that had been made. He was convinced His Father had it right the first time. “MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER.”

In the Bible, Leviticus follows Exodus. The prayers of Moses in the final chapters of Exodus precede the Leviticus 1:1 invitation for Moses to prepare the tent of meeting for the people. The idea of prayer and praise began in the heart of God, but He presented His idea to Moses within the climate of prayer. God still does this for anyone willing to get over a good idea, and spend the time in His Presence to hear God’s idea.

NOTE TO SELF: When you invest sweat equity into working for God, obsessing over the mechanics of prayer and praise, you rarely develop intimacy with God. Man-made religion carries the aroma of the flesh. Prayer breathed worship produces the fruit of The Spirit. There is a difference between the sweat-soaked odor found in a machine shop and the sweet aroma of a farmer’s market. Jesus said He would build His church. He called you to bear His fruit. Never be confused about The Calling of God on you. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Veil

“Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.” Exodus 34:29

There is simply no substitute for spending time in The Presence of Holy God. Hard work glistens the brow with honorable beads of sweat, but nothing pours the oil of The Spirit upon the countenance of a believer like spending prolonged periods of time in The Presence of The Father.

“Moses did not know that the skin on his face shone because of his speaking with Him.”

Moses was clueless because he was selfless. He wasn’t looking for an ancient version of a quick celebrity “Selfie” with God so he could post it in front of his envious friends. His time with God was about God, not about Moses. This was the key for this man of God to be under the anointing of God. It still is.

The daily drain on his spiritual resources by the obstinate people God called him to lead left Moses drained and thirsting to be in The Presence of God. He wasn’t looking for a brief break from his burden or a quick sip from the well of God’s wisdom. He longed to be saturated by God. He wasn’t interested in just knowing what God knew. He wanted to know God. There is a big difference between education and saturation.

The self-focused person who has to squeeze into every conversation a not so subtle reminder of how much time they spend with God is missing the point. Scripture indicates the evidence should already be on their face before it comes out of their mouth. The words of the simple children’s song should be their anthem.

“If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it.”

It was simply impossible for Moses to hide the power of God’s Presence from his face. Diligence will lead a person to schedule a disciplined, daily Quiet Time. Intelligence is fed by increasing a person’s knowledge about God. Sadly, it is still possible for both the diligent and the intelligent to miss God.

Moses didn’t’ spend time with God to express his diligence or to improve his intelligence. With personal transparency, he embraced God’s transcendence. Speaking with God for prolonged periods of time left an indelible mark on the soul of Moses. These private conversations were revealed in public by the radiance of God’s Presence on his face.

God’s Presence is released through and revealed upon the faces of the transparent, not the diligent and the intelligent. People praise the diligent, and honor the intelligent, but God anoints the transparent. Be transparent.

Moses did not know The Evidence was on his face, but those who saw his face, sensed The Presence of God. The Evidence was The Presence. It always is.

Moses didn’t walk away from The Presence of God with a new version of God. He remained true to God’s Word and challenged those who heard his voice and saw his face to obey God, not his own personal version of God.

“He commanded them to do everything that the Lord had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out;” V. 32

NOTE TO SELF: Get this right. Moses removed The Veil when he entered into The Presence of God. He pulled The Veil over his face when he was in the presence of the people.

“The sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses shone. So Moses would replace the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.” V. 35

When you come into The Presence of God, be honest to God. You don’t get any closer to God than your lowest level of transparency. Be diligent. Be intelligent, but most of all, be transparent. Rushing to tell people all you know about God can become a substitute for spending time with God. You may not be able to tell the difference, but those around you can. Don’t confuse eloquence with transparency.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Audience

“If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are obstinate, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own possession.” Exodus 34:9

Know your audience. Every speech class or preaching seminar begins with this fundamental warning. When I have ignored the wisdom of it, I may have delivered the mail, but I put it in the wrong mailbox.  Simply put, the message was not received.

When Moses prayed, He knew his audience by name, by reputation, and from personal experience. Scripture describes his communication with God as face-to-face conversations. His familiarity with God never degenerated into a casual, chummy contempt for God. When God came calling, His reputation preceded Him. He needed no introduction, but provided one anyway. Moses knew his audience. You should too.  

6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands,[a] forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”  V 6-7

When Moses prayed God condescended to spend time with him, and he was stirred to descend to a whole new level of personal humility. Praying to God was not a matter of stealing a bit of significance by treating God as a celebrity. For Moses, prayer began by kneeling before God’s sovereignty. Believing prayer always does. Don’t take a “Selfie.” Take a knee.

“Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship.” V. 8

When Moses prayed, he knew his audience. Believing prayer and genuine worship are offered to an audience of One. People pleasing prayers and personal preference posing as praise always evaporate in the Presence of Holy God. God condescended to meet Moses face to face, but prayer put Moses on his face before God, and the needs of others on his heart.

“I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst.” V. 9a

This is the very definition of Spiritual Awakening. A Great Awakening is the result of a prolonged, saturation of a community of believers with the Presence of God. His Presence does not come because the people deserve His grace, but because they are in need of His mercy.

“…even though the people are so obstinate…pardon our iniquity and our sin.” V. 9b

Never confuse preparation for revival or anticipation of revival with desperation for God’s Holy Presence. Preparing for any movement of God begins by His people falling on their faces before Him in prayer, and inviting God to saturate them with His Holy Presence, not for a season, but for as long as it takes.

“Revival is a people saturated with God.” Brian Edwards

Prayers are never eloquent or sincere enough to generate revival. Still, God brings an awakening by walking among His people in answer to prayer.

Moses humbled himself by praying and admitting the people didn’t deserve in the least what they needed the most. God brought His Presence into their midst. Never settle for anything less.

“The central message of the Bible is the mercy of God, and whoever comes to Him in penitence and sincerity will in no wise be cast out.” Dr. Herbert Lockyer

“…and take us as Your own possession.” V. 9c

This idea of “possession” may be the greatest hindrance to a movement of God. When people believe they can brand God, and package Him as an easy sale to needy people, they may draw a crowd, but they miss God’s Presence.

NOTE TO SELF: God is not yours to sell. You are His, to own. Prayer places a sign over your heart, “Under New Ownership.” When God condescends to meet with you in prayer, don’t make it an opportunity for a “Selfie.” Take the opportunity to get over yourself and intercede for someone else. Moses did. Jesus does. Anything less is not prayer. It is just a poor use of the air in your lungs. Know your audience.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Favor

“Now therefore, I pray you, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is your people.” Exodus 33:13

There is no greater picture of the privilege of prayer than the favor God granted to Moses to speak with Him face to face, “just as a man speaks to his friend.”  When Moses sensed The Presence of God he sensed the favor of God. Prayer invites His Presence, and His Presence produces The Favor.

“Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend.” Exodus 33:11

Moses prevailed in prayer, entreating God to remember His promise to His people. Moses didn’t just want to know about God, he wanted to know God. He needed a sense of direction from God, but he hungered even more for a relationship with God.  Religion settles for knowing the ways of God. A relationship is built on spending time with God.

“Let me know Your ways, that I may know You.” V. 13

There is no real knowledge of God without engaging in face-to- face conversation with God. There is a difference between a religion with rules about God and a relationship that produces intimacy with God. Choose intimacy.

My friend, Jay Strack, often says, “Rules without relationship always breed rebellion.” Too often, people settle for rules about God says, and miss out on talking with God. Without a relationship with God, the rules rub them the wrong way. Rules without relationship rub people raw, and geton their last nerve. Rules never lead to rest, unless the rules are wrapped in a relationship with God.

“My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14

What does that relationship look like? Prayer is not an option, but the very essence of it. Moses was granted a special privilege in His day. God condescended to have face-to-face conversations with him. You are offered the same kind of intimacy with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Prayer provides you with a sense of God’s Presence like nothing else can. Jesus lives to intercede for His followers. He is seated at the right hand of The Father, and when you who call out to The Father in His name you will be heard, and answered. 

Yet, far more precious than answered prayer, God offers His Presence. There is a great distinction between people who talk about God and those who talk with God. Moses sensed this special favor and refused to take a step for God, without knowing he was moving with The Favor of God.

“Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?“  v. 16

NOTE TO SELF: Prayer pours out The Favor of God on your life. When you pray you are not producing His Presence, you are practicing His Presence. Standing in the bed of a pickup truck holding an anvil in your arms is a foolish way to carry a heavy load. Soon your knees give way. The truck was built to carry the load. You were created by God to go to your knees. When you pray, you find God’s favor on you, and your rest in Him.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Obstinate

“I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation. Then Moses entreated the Lord His God.” Exodus 32:9-11

Two worlds collide when an intercessor stands in the gap between Holy God and an obstinate people. An entreaty is not a call for well-deserved judgment. It is a passionate prayer for undeserved mercy. Moses modeled it. Jesus continues it.

Intercessors do their best work when they see sin the way God sees it. Those who pray to God intending to excuse, rename, or condone sin are not honest brokers seeking God’s mercy. They are obstacles to it. Drifting from prayer does not increase your mercy for sinners. It increases your blindness to sin.

Intercession is not a matter of siding with sin against an angry God. It is the capacity to see sin for what it is, hate it the way God hates it, but still seek His mercy for people who are obstinate enough to live in it.

“’Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people.’…So the Lord changed His mind.” V. 14

Moses was not a man without a temper who suffered fools gladly, but he suffered them nonetheless. He was not above expressing his anger towards the complaining, murmuring people he had been called to lead, but when their future was in the balance, he interceded for them.

“Discernment is God’s call to intercession, never fault-finding.” Oswald Chambers

Moses had yet to see what God had seen, so he did not have the same clear perspective on what sin had done to the people. His prayer was not completely informed, but it was infused with passion for the promise God had made to His people. His prayer was a balanced concern for a protection of God’s reputation and the integrity of His promise made to His people.

“Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand…It came about, as soon as Moses came near the camp that he saw the calf… and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.” V. 15-19

When Moses got a firsthand glimpse of what God had seen, he gave the obstinate people a choice. “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” V. 26

The sons of Levi came to Moses and were charged with killing those who refused to turn back to God. After 3,000 obstinate people died, Moses explained that this was done – “in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today.” V. 29

The changing of God’s mind was a blessing, but it did not wipe out all the consequences of the people’s sin. God did not blot out the people, but he did not ignore their idolatry. He never will.

Moses returned to the mountain to restore what sin had cost an obstinate people. The loss of intimacy with God is the high price of sin. Punishment won’t restore it. Repentance will.

“Two things break the heart of God. Rebellion and repentance.” Don Miller, Bible Based Ministries

“Now I am going up to the Lord, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” V. 30

As Moses prayed, his words seem to have taken his breath away. Between “If” and “If not” Moses shifts from passionate intercession to complete identification. This unfinished prayer is one of the finest expressions of entreaty in the Bible. He calls on God to treat him the same way He would treat the people if they cannot be forgiven. The very essence of entreaty is intercession that leads to identification with people in need of mercy.

“Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if You will, forgive their sin – and if not, please blot me out of Your book which you have written!” V. 32

NOTE TO SELF: Judgment begins at the house of God. Praying for your nation to experience a Great Awakening will not exempt the church from being punished for turning to idols that have robbed the people of intimacy with God. Awakening removes anything that has pushed prayer to the back burner of the church. Repentance doesn’t remove consequences of rebellion, but don’t be obstinate. Repent anyway. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

“I will punish them for their sin. Then the Lord smote the people, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made..” V. 35

The President

“You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out, to Me, I will surely hear his cry; and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.” Exodus 22:23

There is no clearer promise from God than, “I will surely hear his cry.” The Father in Heaven has a heart for His children, and a special place in His heart is reserved for the widow and the orphan. God Himself warns those who consider bringing any pain into the lives of these vulnerable people that they are inviting His righteous judgment to fall down on them.

“If human tribunals fail to administer justice, God intervenes to deliver His own who cry out to Him day and night.” Dr. Herbert Lockyer (1886-1984)

When this British preacher penned these words he could have scarcely envisioned the capacity of a Christian culture to create, condone and compensate a killing machine that would murder 60 million children through legalized abortion.

Lockyer ministered in England and America through two world wars. He, along with the rest of his generation, witnessed the tragic atrocity of six million Jews being exterminated by a Christian nation that had birthed the Reformation. 

Great Britain and America were the birthplaces of the Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th Centuries. Who would have ever believed that Christians in both nations would allow the legalized deaths of the most vulnerable of God’s creation.

Those of us who raise our voices to God, praying for the next Great Awakening, would do well to raise our hands to stop the continued holocaust of abortion. The cries call for God’s wrath.

Disposing of the fatherless before they take their first breath, does not dull the ears of The Father from hearing their cry as they are torn from the womb. Some dismiss efforts to end this slaughter because it is the law of the land, saying, “the people have spoken.” Don’t turn a deaf ear to the voice of an angry God. Listen to Him, “My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you

The two major parties of this nation are currently gathering forces for a political throwdown to choose the next President of the United States. One party claims to be the champion of social justice. Another claims to be the holding vessel for fiscal responsibility. Influential leaders in both parties continue to distance themselves as fast as they can from the prying eyes of God on their potential platforms. This never ends well. Can you say, “Whig Party?” But I digress.

Any cursory view of the daily news reveals that Christians all over the world is under attack, and pastors are being threatened at home. Pulpits that were silent about abortion in the 20th Century are being threatened with dire consequences if they speak out in the 21st Century. Basic biblical truth is now considered hate speech. There are consequences to cowardice and courage. Choose courage.

God promised He will hear the cry of the widow and the orphan. His ears are not dulled by the strong shouts of those who demand their right to kill the weak. He still hears, and He is still angry.

Prayers for the next Great Awakening must be lifted up in the face of an angry God who is prepared to pour out the full measure of His wrath on His people, if they do not cry out for His mercy. They must admit that they deserve judgment, and stand in need of mercy.

Anything less turns prayer into pious posturing, resembling the excuses made by German Christians during WW II. Trains filled with Jews were often parked outside their churches during the worship hour. When the cries of those being carried away to certain death reached their ears, they would sing louder. 

What Christians are experiencing around the world, and at home is beginning to stir the hearts of millions to pray as never before. Still, many are praying for a change to be made in The White House without giving much concern to the demands God has placed on His House. This is where Awakening begins.

“And Jesus entered into the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers… And He said to them, “It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER.’” Matt. 21:13

The Father in Heaven has chosen to dwell in the hearts of His people through The Person of His Holy Spirit. For a season of time, He condescended to extend His Presence to the Holy of Holies, but He never confined Himself to brick and mortar. He longs to reside and preside in the hearts of His people. Where He resides, He presides. Where He is resident, He is president.

NOTE TO SELF: Take great care to place a spiritual leader in the White House who seeks the direction, protection and correction of The Father for his daily life and this nation. Do not presume that having a spiritual leader in the White House exempts you from humbling yourself before God in your house.

Your heart is not just a place where God resides. It is where He presides. Your heart is Christ’s home. Let the next Great Awakening begin in you today.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!