11/17/2017
Do you search for God with all your heart, and in so doing are you seeking Him by His terms, or is your motivation your own self-gratification? As you pray and call His name are you continuously obeying His beckoning voice “come”, or are you calling Him to where you are, and asking Him for favors on your own terms?
“And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, "By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.”
Genesis 22:15-19 ESV
Abraham sought out God, and in turn The Lord spoke to him. We long for that kind of relationship, but when God asks us to do those things that frighten us or seem unpleasant, do we obey Him in those hard times too? Can we trust in Him without reservation as Abraham did, or do we feel that the request is too much for us, or might not be good in its outcome?
We must find favor in the eyes of the Lord, and although we begin to do this by recognizing His voice in our lives, we don’t really achieve the fullness of that favor until we obey Him absolutely, and in every challenge that He lays before us. Sometimes we aren’t asked much, but at other times, like with Abraham, the ask is monumentally hard. This happened again when Jesus told the rich young ruler to make himself destitute and then come and follow Him.
Seeing the blessing that God’s favor brought to Abraham when he obeyed, we have to wonder what amazing gifts would have been bestowed upon the young ruler if he had chosen to obey. In the least we know he would have received eternal life... but would it have been much more? Would it have changed the very fabric of our faith as we know it? We will never know.
So we seek out God’s favor by obeying Him in all things, and let’s say we are successful in finding the favor and pleasure of God... what will our ask of Him be at that moment? Will we ask for nothing like Abraham, or will we be more like Moses and need additional reassurance?
“Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." And he said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."”
Exodus 33:13-14 ESV
Moses found favor in the sight of God, and in achieving that he asked that he know Him better, that he would know God’s ways, so that the favor God found in him would be increased and more obvious. I find it interesting to compare the personalities of these two men... one was confident in the relationship he had with God (Abraham), and the other needed more understanding before he could overcome his doubts and be confident in obeying (Moses). I dare say that most of us are more like Moses...
When The Angel first spoke to Moses from the burning bush it frightened him, and God saw it necessary that He speak to Moses Himself, and at hearing God’s voice Moses answered...
“When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am."”
Exodus 3:4 ESV
Then God told him what He wanted done, but Moses was uncertain... his self-confidence was lacking.
“But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?"
Exodus 3:11 ESV
So God attempts to reassure Him, but Moses waivers again...
“Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?"”
Exodus 3:13 ESV
Then, once again God strengthens his resolve, and provides him with a crutch to bolster his confidence...
“Then Moses answered, "But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, 'The Lord did not appear to you.'" The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff."”
Exodus 4:1-2 ESV
And then, in a final attempt to dissuade God, Moses tells God that he can’t speak well, to which the Lord again encourages him...
“But Moses said to the Lord, "Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue." Then the Lord said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?”
Exodus 4:10-11 ESV
Yes, most of us are more like Moses than Abraham. We seek God and then when we find Him, and hear His voice, we are frightened... we need reassurance. In the end, Moses obeyed, and God’s favor was increased in Him... just as Moses had asked. In the end the nation of Israel was freed from Egyptian enslavement and he joined father Abraham in bible fame. In the end Moses was obedient.
How about you? Are you prepared to build an altar to lay your son upon? Are you willing to overcome your fear, pick up your staff, and go before pharaoh? Or, are you going to walk away like the rich young ruler? What is your character, your faith, and your resolve when it comes to seeking God’s favor and obeying Him? What is your motivation... your ask of Him?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for calling my name, and I pray that I have the faith it takes to say “here am I” and to obey you in those things you would ask of me. I thank you for your many blessings, but the ones I seek most are your love, and favor. Holy Father, find favor in me, and increase me as I serve you without reservation. Call to me Father when I am wandering in the desert lost. Call to me Father when I shout your name in desperation. Call to me Father when my enemies are seeking my demise. Call to me Father when you hear the plea of my prayer, and the love in my voice. Call to me Father in all the days of my life, and find favor in my company. You are my God and in you I want not. I pray that you find me satisfactory when I come before you, and that Jesus places His hand upon me to say “I know Him.” Praised be your name, and in all things I hold you up! You are the joy in my voice, and the resolve in my obedience... you are my confidence, and my strength... give me your favor Holy Father! Walk with me all my days.
Rich Forbes