10-27-19 Daily Devotion

Freed for a Purpose
INTERCESSION AND MERCY
Sunday, October 27, 2019 | Exodus 33–34

Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in 1849. The next year, she returned and led her niece and two children to freedom. She went back 13 times and led approximately 70 slaves to freedom, becoming the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad. She was never caught, and she never lost a “passenger.” She also spied for Union forces during the Civil War. For her courage and leadership, she became known as the “Moses of her people.”
On several occasions, Moses rescued the Israelites from God’s wrath through intercessory prayer. As we read yesterday, he pleaded with the Lord not to destroy Israel (Ex. 32:11–14). After he’d chastised the people, he again prayed for them, even to the point of saying, “Please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written” (Ex. 32:31–32). God rejected this offer, but it showed Moses’ deep love for his people.
Moses was in such continuous prayer for Israel that he set up a “tent of meeting” outside the camp (33:7–11). Remarkably, God would meet there with him “face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” In today’s reading, Moses made three requests. First, he wanted a closer relationship with the Lord: “Teach me your ways so I may know you” (33:13). This prayer was answered in God’s proclamation of Himself as “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (34:6–7).
Second, Moses asked for God’s presence to accompany the people (33:15–16; 34:8–9). This request was granted, a response that was also due to their repentance (33:3–6). The covenant was restored. And third, Moses asked to see God’s glory, a request that was also granted, but only partially (33:18–21).
APPLY THE WORD
God’s proclamation of Himself in Exodus 34:6–7 is quoted many times in the Old Testament (see, for instance, Psalm 86:15 and Joel 2:13). Take time today to meditate on and give praise for these verses. Remember events in your life when you have seen these qualities of God in action. And ask Him to give you a prayer life like that of Moses!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t...
Read more

9-25-23 The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas

The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas :: By Bill Wilson Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:Bill Wilson, General Articles There are a lot of terrible things going on right now in the world. But we are at the time of the year when we, as Christians, celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We can choose to be impacted by the world around us in its dimly lit arena, or we can choose to let our light so shine. I choose the latter. I want to tell you a little about the Christmas that I had growing up on our family farm in Ohio. I was blessed to be born into a horse and cattle farm that has been in our family for some 200 years. And Christmas, especially Christmas Eve, was a wonderful time for our family. December 24 was my Dad’s birthday. And my Dad was well-loved by his neighbors and friends, so we had a lot going on Christmas Eve. I remember one special Christmas Eve. I must have been about four years old. The night was falling, and the wind and snow were whipping across the barny...
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th...
Read more