Maybe you’ve heard the story about a pastor who woke up from his after-dinner nap one late February Sunday in no mood at all to preach in that evening service. When he stepped out onto his porch his desire to preach lessened even more as he felt the nice warm air that had been missing from his life for so long. And as he stood there for a little while he thought his assistant pastor could probably come up with something to preach; maybe he’d act like he was sick and slip out and go play a round of golf. And that’s what he did. After getting the service started he snuck out the back door holding his stomach and faking a good grimace and headed to the golf course. Meanwhile, God and one of His angels were watching this pastor, and the angel was getting a little ancy. “God, what are we going to do? We just can’t let this man who’s supposed to be Your messenger get away with this, can we? Maybe you should send a big thunderstorm and clap him with a bolt of lightning. Or maybe you should just make him have a terrible game.” God just smiled and said, “Watch this.” As the preacher lined up to the first hole, a long par 4 Bro. Condon, he took a few practice swings and then hit that ball so hard and straight that it rolled onto the green and into the cup. A hole in one on a par four! Can you imagine that? That angel could not figure it out. What was God doing? But he kept his mouth shut as the preacher lined up on the second tee. And wouldn’t you know it, another hole in one. This same story happened hole after hole. Finally, when the pastor hit yet another hole in one on the ninth, the angel could not keep quiet any longer. “God, what in the world are you doing? Where’s the punishment in this? You’re giving him the best game of his life.” God just smiled and said, “Who’s he going to tell?”
Turn with me if you would to the book of Exodus. I want to read to you from ch. 33.
Exodus 33:9-17… And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses.
And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.
And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.
Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
The book of Exodus gives us a miracle-filled story about the long journey of the Hebrew children from the land of Egypt to the land that God had promised them. It is the story of their deliverance. In this 40 chapter book we look upon a nation of people that turned away from God time and time again. Over and over again we see them being overcome by their selfishness. We watch as they complain against God after they get tired of what He had provided for them. We look on as they lose faith in the God that brought them out of Egypt and turn to a golden calf that they made for themselves. We see them having a big party celebrating their new god and listen as they praise it for delivering them from the hands of the Egyptians. Then we cringe as the true God brings wrath upon the children of Israel for their sin. And God is so angry with these “stiff-necked” people that He tells Moses to lead them into the land of Canaan, only without His presence, lest He would consume them.
That’s where we find our text this morning. God is angry with the children of Israel, but, as he does several times in this book, Moses pleads with the Lord on behalf of the people. And I want us to look at his prayer this morning.
I. It was a prayer for God’s guidance… (Vs 13) show me now Your way
Moses cries, “Lord, show me Your way. Guide me. Lead me. Give me your wisdom. I want to understand your will for my life. I want to do what you want me to do.” What a plea! In Psalms 25:4 we see David praying the same prayer. Show me your ways, O Lord. Teach me your paths.
So often, I believe we as humans, and even as Christians find it easy to start relying on our own faulty wisdom. We begin to rely on our own strengths. We begin making decisions without really waiting on God to lead us. We try to plan our own destiny. But we are so limited. We can only do so much in our own strength. We must rely on God and on His leadership. We must remember that His way is always best. Who else knows the future? Who else knows exactly where that decision is going to lead you? Only God can successfully lead you in the way you should go.
I’m not much of a poetry lover, but this poem, I believe, gives us a picture of the importance of the guidance of God. It’s called Unfolding the Rosebud.
It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God’s design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.
The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
God opens this flower so sweetly,
When in my hands they fade and die.
If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God’s design,
Then how can I think I have wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?
So I’ll trust in Him for His leading
Each moment of every day.
I will look to him for His guidance
Each step of the pilgrim way.
The pathway that lies before me,
Only my Heavenly Father knows.
I’ll trust Him to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.
So many times, we try to unfold the rosebud of our own life with our own strength and wisdom. When all along we are just making a complete mess of it all. The God of Moses is the only one that can truly lead us in the pathway we should take. And if we would just hand over the reigns of our life and let Him lead and guide us, we would find that His way is best. There would be so much less heart ache if we just took His way. There would be so much more peace in our lives if we just followed His leadings. That’s why it is so important that we pray, as Moses did, for God’s guidance. And when we pray that prayer, God is ready to lead us.
II. It was a prayer for God’s friendship… (Vs 13) that I may know You
“Oh, God, I want to know you.” Do you ever really pray this prayer? See, this is basically what the life of the Christian is all about. Knowing God. There’s part of our church motto again. It’s all about having a relationship with Him. That’s what He created us for to begin with. To have fellowship with Him. Moses cried out, “God I want you to guide me. But more than that I want to know you. I want to be your friend.”
Let me ask you this. Do you know God this evening? No, I didn’t ask if you knew about Him. Do you really know God? Is He real to you, or is He just something that you read about in Scripture, or hear about at church?
Think about it this way. Most of us here this morning have been or are in some type of relationship. Let me just use Cora and I as an example. We got married about 2.5 years ago. And I feel like I know Cora. I think I know most of the things that make her happy. I know I know the things that don’t make her happy. I think I understand many of the things she is passionate about. I am learning more about the things that she likes to do. I know what food she likes. I feel like I know her. I try very hard to maintain a strong relationship with her. I try to understand what she likes and I do my best to give that to her. I don’t always succeed in fulfilling all her wants and needs, but I try, and I’m learning as I go. I’ve got lots of learning to do. There is much I don’t know about Cora. But that’s what the relationship is all about, isn’t it? Learning to grow in love and to make the other happy and to do things that please the other.
In this relationship with Christ, we are simply learning what He wants from us. He asks us for our love. We offer it to Him. He asks us for our heart. We give that to Him. He asks us for our will. We give that to Him too. We do all can to do the things we know He wants us to do. He supplies our needs. He even supplies many of our wants. It’s a relationship. It’s a friendship. It’s more than a head knowledge of God. It’s even more than merely doing things that we think are good. It’s loving Him. It’s communing with Him. That’s what devotions are all about. It’s not something to tie up our day. It’s a date with God, so to speak. Just like you take time out of your day to spend time with that special someone, you need to spend time with the greatest Friend you could ever ask for. Moses prays that he might know God.
III. It was a prayer for God’s grace… (Vs 13) that I may find grace in Your sight
Isn’t this something we all need? Where would we be without the grace of God? Rom:5:20: Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. 1 Cor:15:10: But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 2 Cor:8:9: For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 2 Cor:12:9: And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee. Eph:1:7: Talking about Christ… In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Eph:2:8: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
Oh, how much we need grace! There was once a man who was captain of a slave ship. He was a cruel man who, along with his sailors, would feel free to rape the women and children who they were transporting. He was an awful man who was as far away from God as anyone ever was. He was a man that many would have given up hope on.
Then one night a terrible storm rocked his ship, so much so that they crew feared for their lives. The captain knew he had to do something. So what did he do? He prayed. He begged God to deliver them from this storm and promised that he would give his life to Him if his request was granted. God did grant that request, and John Newton kept his end of the deal. Later, he wrote these words. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found. Was blind, but now I see. Aren’t you glad for the grace of God this evening? Where would you be? Where would I be without His grace?
Pastor Keaton preached about it so beautifully this morning, so I’m going to move on. But God’s grace can save us. His grace can change us and make us what He wants us to be. Someone once said it this way, “God loves you so much He’ll take you just the way you are. But He loves you too much to leave you that way.” That’s the grace of our God.
IV. It was a prayer for God’s presence… (Vs. 15) If Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.
God had told Moses to go ahead and lead the children of Israel into the promised land, but He wouldn’t be going with them. The people had angered Him too much. He was afraid that if He went with them, He would destroy them. But Moses knew the importance of having the presence of God with them. He recognized the need for God’s presence.
I want to pray this prayer today and every day. “O God, may your presence be real in my life! May I dwell in your presence! I need You. I want You. Be near me. Draw me near to You.” We are nothing without the presence of God in our lives. We can have all the right answers, but if we don’t have God’s presence in our midst, what does it matter? We can have programs running out of our ears, and not have the presence of the Holy Spirit, and all those programs won’t do any good. We can be doing all the right things but without God’s presence they won’t make a difference. We can come to church 3 times a week, but if God isn’t here we’re wasting our time. We must have the presence of God in our midst, in our churches, in our homes, in our lives.
What happens in God’s presence? It’s in God’s presence that we are drawn close to our Savior. It’s in God’s presence that we are directed in the way we should go. It’s in God’s presence that we can bring all our earthly troubles to the One who answers prayer. It’s in the presence of God that all the storms of life become so small. It’s in God’s presence that we are molded into what He wants us to be.
That’s why we need the presence of God. We are absolutely nothing without His presence. In His presence in joy, fullness of joy. In His presence is peace. In His presence is love. In His presence is direction. In His presence is strength. I’m thankful for the presence of the Almighty God this evening. I don’t want a day to go by that I don’t experience His presence. I don’t want a Sunday to go by that His presence isn’t real in our midst, in our services. I long for the presence of God. And Moses did to. “God, if you’re presence doesn’t go with us, don’t send us.”
This evening, I hope that each of us will pray this prayer with Moses. “God, I need your guidance. Where you lead me I will follow. Show me your will. Show me your desire for my life. I’m here, Lord. Lead me.” Let me tell you something. You pray that prayer and God will lead you. And if you follow, you won’t be sorry. There will be rough times. There may be times that you feel like you can’t go on. But if God is leading you, He won’t let you down. Just keep your hand in his.
“God, I want to know you.” Do you know Him this morning? Do you really know God? If you don’t know Him, you can. He wants that relationship with you. He wants your friendship. And He’s a friend that will stick closer than a brother. He won’t let you down.
“God, I need your grace. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for your grace.” Have you experienced His grace? Are you experiencing the power of His grace today? That unmerited favor is ready to be extended to you today. Do you want it?
“God, I have to have your presence. I can do nothing without it. If I have nothing else, I want your presence.” I’m thankful for the presence of the Holy Spirit. And we must allow His presence to come.
Where are you this evening? Are you praying this prayer that Moses prayed? Have you prayed this prayer? Do you want God to guide you? Do you want to know Him? Do you realize your need for His grace? Do you really want His presence in your life? I sure am, and I believe that if we pray this prayer with a sincere heart, God will come and do mighty things in our lives.
