Week 32 Day 4
Pray:
Ask God to reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
Ex. 33:1-20 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
Reflect:
You can have many kinds of relationships such as business, family, volunteer organizations, military, teammates, and others. You can have relationships without having friendships. You can be a biological brother or sister without being a friend. You can share an office or a locker room and have the same goals, but not be friends. A friendship is a special category of relationship. There are many levels of friendship, but in general a friend is someone you trust. If you do not trust them, they are not your friends. God spoke to Moses as a friend. Moses trusted God, but more importantly God trusted Moses. God knew Moses’ limitations and was very aware of his failings…past, present and future. But God trusted Moses. He trusted Moses to lead his people. God trusted Moses with his very word. He trusted Moses to represent him. Of course, the selection of Moses was due to God’s sovereignty, but at the same time it is not always helpful to just end there in our thinking. If we only look at the role of God’s sovereignty in the lives of people he uses, it can lead to passivity in our own lives. Of course, God’s sovereignty is of vital importance and should lead us to act and think with humility. At the same time, Moses’ response to God is important as well. We must not believe we can wait for God’s sovereignty to “fall on us” before we proactively move towards him in faith and towards others in love. God wants to use us in the world. A part of him using us is our “usefulness.” That usefulness is not primarily about skill or gifting, but humility. Humility is a character quality. It is a result of making a series of choices over time, choices that reflect both mental attitudes and physical actions. Look at what God’s word says about Moses: “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). Was God sovereign in the selection of Moses? Of course he was. Did the choices Moses make, particularly in regard to his humility, matter in how God used him? Of course they did. Do you want to be a friend of God? Walk humbly with God. He can trust those who trust him. Humility is the foundational quality for a trust relationship with God. “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
Pray:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today.