With God

"Then he said to Him, 'If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? 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?" -Exodus 33.15-16

Moses' prayer continues, and he says to God, "If You don't go with us, then don't move us on from here." I'm sure Moses is anxious to get to the Promised Land. These people haven't been the easiest bunch to live with. They spend a lot of time complaining, or sinning, and I'm sure it was like traveling with a couple little kids who kept screaming in the back seat and asking "Are we there yet?"

Plus it was the fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham. After centuries the people would finally be in the land that God had sworn to give to them, a land flowing with milk and honey. This is the place that God had intended for them to be, and finally they would be there. And all of this is taking place before they have been sentenced to forty years of wandering. I'm sure Moses wanted to get there fast, but he wanted to be with God more, and so his prayer was to stay put unless God was going with them.

Men, think about the places you're thinking about going. Whether it be for a new job, a better school system for your kids, or maybe downsizing to a smaller home as an empty nester. Is your prayer, "God unless You go with me, don't lead me there"? It's easy to get caught up in our plans, our hopes, and our dreams that we neglect to seek God's presence. All of these things could be good things that fall within God's will for our lives, but if He isn't present in them, it's a mistake to go.

It was God's will for the people of Israel to reach the Promised Land, but Moses didn't want to go anywhere without God. If we take a new job and God isn't there what do you think happens? Stress we can't manage, we pour more into the job than into our families, life becomes about work. If we go somewhere for the schools and God isn't there what happens? Our kids don't adjust well, maybe it's at the wrong time in life, they lose relationships that they weren't supposed to be done with yet. If we downsize a house and God isn't there what happens? We run off to Florida and live with a bunch of retired people when our wisdom and experience is needed elsewhere to raise up young men.

But if we refuse to go unless God is with us, then these problems go away. I'm not saying we won't have any problems where we end up, but we'll be in the center of God's will and He will be with us. The timing will be right, the place will be right, and everything will fall into place.

Let us never move unless God is going with us, leading us forward. Let us go with God.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Knowing God

"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

Moses already speaks with God like no one else ever has. The two of them meet and speak face to face as friends. But look at Moses' prayer here. He wants to know the ways of God so that he might know God. He prays that he has found favor in the sight of God so that his prayer will be answered and he will continue to find favor in the sight of God. Moses, the man who had one of the most intimate relationships with God, simply wants to know God more.

Men, what is your prayer? Is it to simply know God's ways so that we may know Him? What if it was? What if our primary prayer was to know God more? We would have to live our lives in a manner that was worthy to receive that knowledge to begin with. But once we began to learn more about Him, we would want to continue to know more. And the more we learned, the more we would want to live it out, which leads to us finding favor in God's sight so that He can continue to teach us more of His ways.

Moses, the man of God, simply prayed that God would teach him more about Himself. Moses just wanted to know God more, and it's because of this that God was able to reveal so much to him. And the more Moses knew about God, the more he was able to instruct Israel about God and how to live.

If we would seek to teach others about God, we must first know Him ourselves. And the more we know Him the more we can share. The more we are able to share, the more we can help others grow. Will you seek to know God? Will that be your prayer?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Another Man Called to Lead

"Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the Lord would speak with Moses. When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent." -Exodus 33.7-11

After the incident with the golden calf Moses goes and makes atonement for the people, and God has them leave the mountain, heading to the Promised Land. But at this point, God Himself no longer goes with them. Instead He sends His angel ahead of them because He said if He were to go with them, He would destroy them. The continue on their journey to Canaan, and when they stop to make camp Moses would set a tent up outside the camp where he would go and meet with God.

Moses and God would talk face to face, as two friends having a conversation. Imagine what that would be like; to have that kind of intimacy with God. And in the final verse we see an essential attribute of a leader. When Moses would leave the tent and return to camp, Joshua would stay behind.

The first time that verse hit me I immediately thought of Joshua 1, as Joshua is preparing to lead Israel into the Promised Land. God promises him to be with him as he was with Moses. Why can this promise be made? Because Joshua sought God like Moses did. When Moses left the tent of meeting Joshua stayed behind. And it is important to note that at this time Joshua has no idea that he will be the next leader of Israel, Moses doesn't even know that yet. It isn't until Numbers 27 that we find this out. Joshua stays behind in the tent of meeting, and does not depart. He can lead like Moses, because he sought God like Moses.

Men, what kind of leader, what kind of man, do you want to be? Who is the man you admire most? Who is the man about whom you say, "I hope I can be half the man he is."? What makes them the way they are? Are you striving to be like them by doing what they do? I'm not saying to copy them in every aspect of their lives, but do you live like they live?

The man I admire most is the wise "old" Sage I've mentioned before. We have different passions, different strengths, and our hearts break for different things, but I want to live as he lives, fully devoted to Kingdom work, always focused on glorifying God. God probably won't use me in the same way He has used this man, we're different people, but if I seek to live as he has lived, God can use me in the same capacity.

Moses and Joshua had very different ministries, but God was with them equally because they sought Him equally. We have no record of Aaron doing this, even as a priest, and Aaron failed. But Joshua ended up being a great leader who began the conquest of the Promised Land. Two men were called to lead, one failed, the other didn't.

You, too, are another man called to lead, what is your approach to the preparation?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor