I Need to Pray

This I Believe

Meditations on My Core Christian Beliefs 

January 4, 2022

I Need to Pray

So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.

Exodus 32:14

Read: Exodus 32:7-14

God brought His people out of Egypt. His desire was to bring His people into a right relationship with their creator. God was seeking people who would worship Him and with whom He could come and dwell. In furtherance of His desire, God brought Moses to a mountain top where he instructed Moses on how to lead God’s people and on how to prepare for God to come and dwell among His people.

While Moses was with God, the people became impatient and once again turned away from the living God. This time they fashioned for themselves a golden calf to worship.

Today’s passage in Exodus reveals God’s nature as a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). God tells Moses of his plan to destroy the rebellious people and “Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.” (v.10b) Moses intercedes for the people. God had referred to the people as Moses’ people, but Moses says they are God’s people whom God had brought out of Egypt. Verse 14 tells us God changed His mind. The people will be punished, but not destroyed.

I have two compelling two insights from this passage for my life in Christ. The first is recognizing how much God wants to dwell in and with me. But like the people of Israel, I resist. I too have made my golden calves, my idols in life that interfere with my worshipping God in reverence and awe. Secondly, I see the power of prayer – authentic prayer – that is not afraid of confronting God, of questioning God. However, please note that Moses’ questioning and confronting was all based on God’s promises, not Moses’ personal agenda.

My Takeaway: Even while God was thoroughly engaged with Moses on the mountain top, God was very much aware of the sinful rebellion of his people at the base of the mountain who thought they were out of God’s sight. God is never deaf or blind to my turning away from Him. In my experience, I have found the great liturgies of the Christian faith, such as in The Book of Common Prayer, very helpful in nurturing my personal reverence and honesty before God.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.