“The Lord answered Moses, ‘I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and I know you by name.’ Then Moses said, ‘Please, let me see your glory.’” - Exodus 33:17–18
We can learn so much about prayer and faith and relationship with God from this interaction with Moses in this section of Exodus 32 and 33. I challenge you to go and read it all. While God is giving Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai—after having performed many miracles to get the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt—the people grow weary and anxious. Moses is gone for 40 days, and in his absence, they build a golden calf to worship in God’s place. God is devastated at their adultery and wants to wipe them out.
The power of interceding
Yet, Moses intercedes for them, and God relents and does not kill them—and even reinstates the gift of land to them. But God says He cannot go with them; in His place, He will send an angel of the Lord. Again, Moses cries out, “No Lord, we cannot go without you! We will not go without you. It is only YOU that makes us different from the rest of the world.” And again, God listens to this man. It is staggering.
I love Moses’ tenacity, passion for his people, love for God, and knowledge that they have no greater need than to be with Him. But more than that, he also has a great and wonderful understanding of God! He comprehends His heart, His character, and His purposes; and it is this knowledge that pushes him to pray for more.
Knowing God
That’s why Paul says in Ephesians 1, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.” Why? Because when we know the love, the mercy, the kindness, the power of God, we will cry out for big and audacious things.
We learn from this Exodus passage that Moses spoke with God like a friend; it is that time with God—in His presence, walking with Him over a long period of time—that got him to a point where he could ask God for more and more. And it ends with him asking, “Show me your glory.” Wow! “Show me your glory!” How often do we pray just to see God in His glory, just for the sake of falling down in wonder at who He is? When you get to know God like Moses did, you will always want more. Your great delight will be to see Him, more of Him in His fullness and splendor. And how wonderful that in Jesus, we have this kind of access to God! Jesus, the ultimate intercessor, has secured that for us through His death and resurrection. And because of Him, God says of us too, “I will do everything you have asked of me because you have found favor with me, and I know you by name.”
Pray with us to end human trafficking
So Lord, we pray now in boldness that you would use Love Justice to turn the tide on human trafficking. That we would see a radical reduction in those who are exploited in this horrific way. That brothels would start to empty and close down. That the institutions that enable forced labor would crumble. That people's hearts would turn in love to those vulnerable and weak. That wherever we work, we would take ground for the kingdom of God. That people would see the beauty of Jesus and begin to follow Him, and as they do, they would be transformed and nations would begin to prosper as they start to rebuild the broken ruins.
We ask that you would give us favor with yourself and with man, that everything we do would prosper, that your hand would empower us and strengthen us and go before us. We ask for partners and donors and amazing staff who will enable us to do this. We ask for government permission and access to the places where we need to be to stop the precious lives that are on their way to being exploited. We pray for courage, endurance, grace, and much joy as we do this. And most of all, God, do it with us! Go with us in every moment—in the joys and in the struggles, the highs and the lows—and may this be our greatest joy: being with you. Doing this with you and loving you as we love those you love.
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