Exodus 33: 12 - 14
Were you intrigued by the familiar and easy conversation between Moses and God? I understand better what scripture means in Exodus 33:11 when it describes the relationship between Moses and God as "friend". Why do we so often turn prayer into a formalized list of requests? You get the feeling from these verses that Moses went to this tent of meeting for a "chat" with God. Does that seem too "familiar"? I don't think Moses ever went carelessly or without the respect and reverence for God that is appropriate for mankind. But there is also a level of "comfortableness". I am going to aim for more conversational communication with God this week ... less formal. It seems to me that some kind of conversational interchange running throughout the day is the only way to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17)
I also learn that it is OK to question God ... I don't mean to challenge Him, or to demand that He explain Himself ... but to ask for clarification. "Clarify this for me Lord". "I don't understand what I am to do in the midst of this." Moses even reminds God of something that He said previously! Did Moses think God had forgotten? I doubt it. I learn from this example that it is also OK to repeat words and promises that God has given - not for God's benefit, but for my own. I need to remember the words ... I need to clarify in my heart and mind my trust in those previous words. As we follow Moses' example here, use scripture as you talk to God. It seals it in your own heart ... it tells God that you believe what He has said.
As we close today's work ... watch for the Presence of God in your day today. He is there!
Reading Moses' conversation with God, I am struck by its similarity to Solomon's request several generations later (1 Kings 3:6-9). Each of these men had become acutely aware of the overwhelming responsibilities of leadership, and the heart response of each was identical: Lord, I need to know You better! They knew all too well that no leader can lead where he has not been himself!
ReplyDeleteA line from an Alison Krauss song goes "Take my life and let me be a living prayer, my God, to Thee." We know something of how to do prayer, but how can we be "living prayers" in our daily walk? By keeping the conversational interchange running, as you have said. By constantly, continuously making the same request that Moses and Solomon made. And by opening our eyes to scrutinize our life circumstances through the lens of God's "curriculum." What can I learn from (or about) God today, in this particular situation? The incident that took place this morning at breakfast... in the checkout line at Kroger... at the reference desk in the library... in the drive-up lane at the bank... my conversation with the homeless person on the corner... how can these events help me to know God better? What will He teach me, through them, about His nature and His ways? Can I articulate those lessons back to Him? How will He respond? Will I recognize His voice? Do I put God on speed dial for the next emergency? Or might we [since the minutes are free!] simply stay on the line together, making occasional remarks to each other throughout the day? I want to get to the place where that kind of intimate, spontaneous conversation with Him is as natural to me as the air I breathe... to the place where I become "a living prayer"!