Thursday, February 3, 2022

            Moses is a huge figure in Israel’s history.  He led the people on an Exodus out of Egypt.  He guided the people through the wilderness to the edge of the Promised Land that God had chosen for them.  He received the Law from God and communicated it to the people.  He was not perfect (remember Moses was guilty of murder) but He was chosen by God for a most important role to play in the salvation story that began with Abraham and ended with Jesus.  In Exodus 33:13 we read, “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.”  We could read this as a prayer—a great prayer really.  Moses was praying to know the Lord.  He had seen the Lord’s mighty acts and deeds and now he wanted to know the Lord in a deeper and more personal way.  And Moses wanted to continue to know the Lord—not just randomly or occasionally but consistently and continuously. 
            Reading about this moment in Moses’ life leads us to ask ourselves a question.  Do we wish to know the Lord?  Not about Him, not what He can give us and not what He is capable of doing.  But knowing the Lord personally, intimately and relationally.  Do we wish to know the Lord?  How often are your prayers populated with a plea to know the Lord?  God can be known.  We can walk with Him much as Moses did and Joshua who came after Moses.  Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice.  He knows them and walks with them (John 10:27).  God is not an idea, a concept, an impersonal force or a distant monarch.  He is real—revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 
            We often turn from the Lord because we are not walking with Him or seeking Him.  We have chosen another way.  When we have not invested in knowing the Lord then it can be easy for us to wander away or even walk away.  People who seek the Lord generally make a commitment to four faithful disciplines.  First, they read the Bible.  They seek the Lord in the pages of His Word.  They ask God to speak to them through the verses they read.  Second, they pray.  They speak with the Lord.  They bring their burdens and blessings to the Lord for Him to manage and direct in ways that He chooses.  Third, they set aside times of silence and solitude.  They have a desire to be alone and quiet before the Lord.  In these times, the Lord can capture our attention and work within us in ways that busyness and noise would never allow.  Fourth, they worship the Lord.  They take intentional time and opportunity to praise the Lord and join with others to behold the glory of God revealed when His people gather to worship Him. 
            If Scripture, prayer, silence and worship are missing from our lives, we will never know the Lord.  We may know about Him and we may have high regards for Him but we will not truly know Him.  I know details about David Tepper, the owner of the Carolina Panthers but I do now know the man in any real way.  I have never spoken with Him.  I have never watched a game with him or had a meal.  We have never had a long conversation and I have never trusted any burdens or battles to him.  Likewise, we will never know the Lord unless we make some basic commitments to be with Him and spend time in ways where by, He reveals Himself to us.  The good news is God can be known, loved and trusted.  The challenge rests with us to make Him first in life and to know Him more today than yesterday.  If God can reveal Himself to sinners like Moses, Peter, Paul and others, then we can know Him too.  May we be faithful in choosing Him more than the things that take us away from Him.  Have a great Thursday!