The Message
“Keep watching and praying…” Jesus – Matthew 26:41
Today marks my Dad’s first Sunday in Heaven. Don Miller was a churchman to the core. Long before it was cool to say it, Dad believed the local church was the hope of the world. It still is.
From 1946-1977 Dad pastored Liberty Hill Baptist Church of Eddy, Texas, First Baptist Church of Wilmer, Texas, Forney Ave. Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, Farmingdale Baptist Church of Farmingdale, New York, East Dallas Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, and North Shore Baptist Church of Kings Park, New York.
In every setting God placed him, Dad bloomed where he was planted, making a powerful impact on the lives of people. He was at home in a rural country church, a small town church, a blue-collar church, a transitional neighborhood church, and a metropolitan church setting. Dad’s message and ministry were marked by a passion for prayer. His personal intimacy with God fueled his fire for evangelism, and his heart for missions. His passion for both took him across the street and around the world.
During the last week of Dad’s life, a window of opportunity opened up to ask once last time, “When did prayer move from being a personal devotion to your main passion in life?” Dad paused, letting the question soak in, and he pulled from deep within his soul the moment in time when God called him to step out on faith, to leave a thriving pastorate, and to begin Bible Based Ministries. “The Don Miller Prayer Conference,” was not a good idea. It was God’s idea. Big difference.
God turned prayer into a powerful message in Dad’s life, through a near death experience. In 1975 following emergency surgery resulting in the loss of his colon, Dad developed peritonitis. This required another emergency surgery to repair the damage done by the infection. With three crude colostomies, a year long recovery process, and two more serious surgeries. Dad’s weakened condition kept him out of the pulpit until February 1976. His powerful body withered to 90 pounds and his booming voice became a whisper. It looked liked his days of preaching were over.
Dad recalled, “When they took the colon out, I felt so empty. I felt nobody knew how I felt. A warrior always needs to be ready. I began to call out to God in the darkness, ‘Now what, Lord!’ I don’t know when I first began to believe this, but as long as I can remember I have always believed, ‘God and I make a majority.’ As I slowly recovered I learned I was never alone and never without, when I was with Him. I can’t say I had a disciplined plan. I just followed God, and listened to His voice along the way. Somehow He led Momma and I to where we are. That God would take two people like Momma and I and melt us into one is indescribable.” Indeed, it is.
From 1977-2010, Dad and Mom travelled to every state in the Union, except two, The Dakotas. They conducted prayer conferences in over 1,000 churches, and circled the globe many times, fulfilling a personal call to missions. They ministered to missionaries and nations on every continent except South America. The closest Dad came was a prayer conference in Trinidad. Large or small, far or near, Dad was always on call to share the priority of prayer, and his passion for a Great Awakening.
Monday, April 20, 2015 was the last day I was able to clearly converse with Dad. His body was weak, but his vision was clear. He could see the answer to his most passionate and persistent prayer. He said with confidence, “I still believe we will see revival, and we will see people get in on it. Prayer, Peace, Power, we can have all three. I long to see the atmosphere of prayer that would cause strangers driving by the highway to pull over and get in on it. God did not create dirt. There needs to be that cleansing wave, a movement, when people see Him, hear Him, obey Him, and call Him. Prayer, peace, power, what a trio.”
I asked Dad, “What is peace?” He responded, “Peace is being right with God. When that happens anything can happen. You are on the vestibule of Heaven. Prayer, Peace, Power needs to return to the church. These three things are only found in praying churches. Some talk about it, but that is as far as they go. I have longed for this so much. Fire. Oh, to feel the fire of God. I have been to a few conventions, but 500 men on their knees in a prayer meeting, oh, that is what I long to see. I have always wanted that for the United States of America. It starts with praying men. We have always had praying ladies, but the crying need is praying men. It needs to breath forth.”
At that point, Dad asked permission to read to me one last time what he called, “the greatest prayer package in the Bible.” He apologized for reading it again, saying, “I know I read this to you this morning, but I believe it bears repeating.” With that he read through Matthew’s account of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Matthew 26:36-46)
Turning in his bed, and leaning on his right elbow, Dad looked at me, and said, “Tell them prayer is the priority. My favorite song is, ‘He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own.’ Just to belong to the Lord, Jesus Christ, Oh, my soul. I want to pass it on. PASS IT ON. PASS IT ON. PASS IT ON.” I said with tears in my eyes, and with a raspy voice, “I will pass it on. I will pass it on. I will pass it on.” He said, “Good boy.”
Dad returned to the theme of his entire life, praying for the next Great Awakening. Prayer for him was not a syrupy sanctimony. It was war. He prayed for victory over evil and for a spiritual turnaround of his nation. He said, “What a day that will be when they do turn around, when there is awakening. There is possibility and potential of an awakening, O my yes. There are so many brilliant people beating their gums, but not praying. POTENTIAL. POTENTIAL. POTENTIAL. There is the potential of a Great Awakening in a moment, and within our lifetime. Awakening will be marked by people, who will want God more than anything or anybody. Oh, that they would believe. To believe is so strong. BELIEVE. BELIEVE. BELIEVE.”
To the very last Dad believed. “I believe I will live to see revival come.” I asked him, “What does revival look like?”
Dad said, “Rejoicing. Joy. Happiness. Unity. Oneness. Real revival begins with real worship. Everlasting life. Nothing stops. What a wonderful thought. What a wonderful comfort. What a wonderful possession.”
Dad’s final thoughts and prayers were focused on the next Great Awakening. The Message was clear. Prayer is the treasure, and the priority. There is potential in prayer. Prayer is the vestibule of Heaven. Awakening is a prayer away. Praying men lead the way to it, on their knees. Pass it on! Chiseled in stone on Dad’s grave marker are the words, “TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!”
The Threshold
Yesterday, April 22, 2015, my brother Ken called me with the news my Dad, Don Miller died at 5:32 PM. Dad was listening to the soft, soothing words of a great old song. “Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling…Come Home!” Dad heard the voice of Jesus call him and he went home.
When my sister, Joy, put my mother on the phone, her gentle voice was weary, but so full of hope and relief. Mom said, “Dad’s safe at home. We have so much to be grateful for.” Scripture is so incredibly spot-on when it comes to this moment in life. “You will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.” (I Thessalonians 4:13) Indeed, we don’t, but we do grieve.
Just seven days ago, Dad experienced a heart attack that accelerated his pace to the finish line of his earthly race. Ninety-three years had taken a toll on his frail body. He was already weakened by Stage IV kidney failure, and congestive heart failure complicated by a severely restricted aortic valve. Dad had fought the good fight, but this was the last round.
Following the massive damage from the heart attack, Dad’s health continued to deteriorate as he was moved from one care unit after another. From ER, CVICU, Palliative Care, and finally to Hospice Care, in each place he left a vapor trail of grace. He extended words of blessing and gratitude to all who cared for him, even when they were digging into his thin arms seeking veins that were shrinking or collapsing. His last nurse at the hospital told him, “You are a rock star.” He just smiled, and said, “Oh, I don’t know about that.” I told her, “The real truth is, Dad is a rock.” He has always been mine.
For the past seven days, Dad has been reaching towards a threshold, unseen by us, but very real to him. One night, after a particularly restless night in the Palliative Care unit of Baylor All-Saints, Dad awakened, and called my name. I stood over him, and heard him say, “You know I’ve almost conked off two or three times.” I told him we were all aware of his struggle. He said, “I have been reaching out to the threshold.” I asked him what he had seen. Dad calmly said, “I saw Him in all his glory and majesty, and I saw Momma and Dad waving at me.” I believe he did.
For the past week my brothers, Roger and Ken, and my sister Joy, have been walking with my mother, Libby, though the most difficult days of our lives. Mom has been caring for Dad, watching over him, holding his hand as he takes his last breaths on this side of Heaven.
For seventy years, Mom and Dad have held hands through an amazing journey that has taken them all over the world, and to over 1,000 churches in America, serving TWOgether as pastors, church planters, evangelists, and prayer warriors. Only Heaven truly knows the full extent of their ministry. One day this week, I was touched to see Dad turn to Mom and hear him say to her, “We have had a wonderful journey.” She softly said, “It has been wonderful.” Dad was truly amazed by their love for one another right up until the very end. True love not only waits. It lasts.
One day over a cup of coffee in hospice, Dad spoke of Momma one more time. “To think that God would take two little people like us and melt us together is indescribable. Oh, my soul!” One of Dad’s constant calls to us in his more lucid moments was, “Take care of Momma.” I was relieved to hear him say at some point during his last days, “Momma is going to be just fine.” I believe a voice, from another realm calmed his concern, and prepared him to let go and “Come home.” Thank you, Jesus.
All four of us, Roger, Gary, Joy and Ken have agreed that ministering to Dad during these last days has been one of the greatest privileges we have ever been given. It has been a painful process, but we would have hated to miss out on it. Those words are hard to say, difficult to believe, but true to the core.
Roger was with Dad in the early morning hours on Tuesday. When he saw Dad moving around in the bed. He asked, “Dad, where are you going?” Roger heard Dad’s final words, “Almost to Glory.” With that Dad fell into a coma and the final stage of his fight began. My brother Ken was with Dad when he took his last breath, and crossed over threshold and into Glory. He passed through a very thin veil separating “Almost Glory” and “His Glory.” Mom said it so well, “Dad is safe at home.” Indeed he is.
I can’t help but notice when Dad died it was 5:32 PM on a Wednesday evening. Perhaps Dad wanted to be on time for Prayer Meeting in Heaven. He always liked to be early.
This has been a holy week for us. Roger, Joy, Ken and I have tasted the bittersweet dregs of this experience in every sense of the word. The sense of holiness has not removed the great sense of loss or minimized the pain of the process for any of us, especially Mom.
At this point a question remains in my mind, “Now what?” Dad’s greatest longing was to see the next Great Awakening in his lifetime. He prayed for it daily, and there was hope in his heart for it up to the very last. He said, “Prayer is the vestibule of Heaven.” He believed, “Prayer is the priority, and the greatest treasure of the church. An Awakening, a great movement of God is available for the asking in our life time, and even in the next moment.” Will you join Dad in praying for it? Awakening is just a prayer away. Perhaps yours will be the tipping point. Please pray for it.
Thank you for praying for us during this past week. Dad always said when he was told people were praying for him, “I can feel them.” Now I know what he meant. Thank you, and thank God for showing us His mercy and grace this week. We have been fully covered by His Presence, and Dad is standing in His Presence. It is well.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
The Rebellion
“But now, I pray let the power of the LORD be great, just as You have declared, ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression;” Numbers 14:17-18
When Moses, Aaron Joshua and Caleb led the people to be a part of what God was doing they rebelled anyway and sought to murder their leaders. The murmuring majority of the body politic had gangrened into a gang of grumblers. This only happens, EVERY TIME.
“All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron…” Numbers 14:2
Majority rule is rarely right but is seldom in doubt. The majority will run over the truth, turn a leader into a speed-bump, and leap over God-given barriers to declare themselves the winner of any cultural or spiritual battle. When the majority flies off the cliff, they intend to stick the landing. Don’t follow them.
These four men were in the minority, but they were on God’s side. This is always the right side of history. The minority put the emphasis where it belongs. They knew they are on the right side of history, when it is HIS STORY. The majority got their way that day, but God saved the day for all of us who will follow His lead.
“The Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of the assembly of the congregation…” Numbers 14:5
When the people rebelled their leaders did not fall on their swords. Their leaders fell on their faces. They met aggression with intercession. They pleaded for The Presence of God to enter into the crisis of faith. They appealed to the people to feed their faith, not their fear, and to trust God.
Fear is always the fundamental issue when it comes to putting trust in God. The people feared the people in the land. They may have been freed from bondage in Egypt, but they still lived in the bondage of fear. They let the enemy overshadow The Presence of God. He had freed them from slavery, but they were afraid to trust Him for victory.
“”Only do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, do not fear them.’ But all the congregation said to stone them with stones.” V. 10
Rebellion has consequences. God will not ignore it at any level. From the personal to the national level, God meets it with a tight fist. God said to Moses, “I will smite them…” V. 12
Moses took God’s word to heart, and it broke his heart for the people. He pleaded with God for pardon. It was the one thing the rebels deserved the least, but it was the one thing they needed the most.
“Pardon, I pray the iniquity of the people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness,...”
V. 19
Answered prayer is the most redemptive power in the world. God answered the prayer of Moses. He did not destroy the rebels. He let them have their way. They would be forgiven of their rebellion. They would not die that day, but they would not be allowed to enter the land of promise. God cancelled their passports.
“So the Lord said, ‘I have pardoned them according to your word.’” V. 20
“They shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it.” V. 23
The LORD has no tolerance for unrepentant rebellion. Those who put Him to the test ten times and disobeyed His voice were banished from entering the land He had promised. Rebellion requires a price and it isn’t cheap. Jesus paid it all.
NOTE TO SELF: You may lose count of the many times you have not listened to the voice of God. God does not. His records are clear. Keeping clear accounts with God requires keeping short accounts with Him. Prayer enables you to do both. Pray to The Father, in the name of The Son, seeking the soul-cleansing Presence of The Spirit not just to comfort you but to convict you of sin and to call you to repentance for your rebellion.
Prayerlessness is rebellion. It may not cost you your life. The heavy price is the loss of personal intimacy with The Father. When it is easier for you to disobey God, than it is for you to pray to God, you are in rebellion. Prayer connects you with the intercession of The Son, and the promise-birthing power of The Spirit. Trust God. Obey His voice.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
The Meek
“O God, heal her, I pray!” Numbers 12:13
The four walls of this passage contain sixteen verses that hold the key to understanding the heart of God, and interceding for your enemies. It is meekness, not weakness that fuels your passion to pray for your enemies.
Meekness is the strength of soul to speak for God no matter how many people may speak out against you, and no matter how close those people may be to you. In this case, the enemies of Moses were his brother and sister. This was sibling rivalry on steroids.
Miriam and Aaron were the leaders of the murmuring of the people. When prideful people think they know better than the leader, any excuse will do to slice the leader into pieces, and cut him down to size. They chose to attack his wife.
“Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married.” V. 1
Miriam and Aaron suffered from the “close but no cigar” leadership syndrome. They were close to Moses. They just weren’t close enough to God. They were of the same family lineage as Moses, but they did not maintain the same level of intimacy Moses had with God.
Miriam and Aaron could lay claim to having great skills and prophetic insight. They lacked one thing. They had not been chosen by God to lead the people of Israel. Moses had. They had not. They were close and yet so far, “close but no cigar.”
Any pastor of any church or leader of any team has heard the murmuring and sensed the undermining carried out by people closest to him. The spirit of Miriam and Aaron lives on today, in the form of friendly fire. It comes from those who are full of themselves but they are not full of the wisdom of God.
Sitting on a plane and collecting frequent flyer miles will never develop the skills of a pilot. Sitting close to the cockpit can be deceiving. When a passenger believes their view out of a side window gives them more clarity and sense of direction than the view from the pilot’s seat, they are wrong, and they are dangerous. Never turn the controls over to them.
Murmuring always begins with a question. It points to the LORD, but condemns the leader. The rebel tries to airbrush himself with moral purity, and take the seat closest to God. They want to appear to be protecting the reputation of God.
“Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” v. 2
These few words should strike fear in the heart of the unrepentant rebel and infuse hope in the heart to the meek who are under fire. “And the LORD heard it.” (V.2b)
When God hears murmuring, He hates it. When He hears it coming from the mouth of self-appointed leaders, He deals with it. One of the fundamental truths of Scripture is the certainty of a fall coming for anyone foolish enough to trust in personal pride. The wise humble themselves before God.
“(Now Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) Suddenly the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and to Miriam, ‘You three come out of the tent of meeting.’“
V. 4
Miriam and Aaron confused stewardship with ownership. They thought the role of a servant to Moses elevated them to a leadership role equal to his. They were wrong. So is any staff member in a local church who thinks their good idea is God’s idea. It is one thing to be in authority, and another thing to be under authority. Learning the difference is the path to humility.
What God saw in Moses, Miriam and Aaron could not see. He was faithful, and prayerful. This significance was lost on two people who were more concerned with getting the credit for what God did than spending time with the God who did it.
“He is faithful in all My household. With him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings.” V. 8a
The lesson is clear. There ought to be a holy fear of God that restrains criticism and constant murmuring against leaders called by God. God still asks, “Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant.” V. 8b
NOTE TO SELF: Moses prayed the most for those who hurt him the most. He interceded for God’s best for them, and left it up to God what He would do to them. Don’t ever take vengeance into your own hands. Take a knee.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
The Appeal
“So Moses said to the LORD, ‘Why have you been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that you have laid the burden of all this people on me?’ “ Numbers 11:11
The prayer of Moses is marked by a sense of urgency, bordering on panic. Battling with the day-to-day challenges of leading rebellious people through touch terrain, and providing for their needs left him a victim of compassion fatigue. He was at the end of his rope, physically, mentally, and spiritually. The murmuring, complaining people had finally irritated his last nerve. He took his anger to God, not out on his people. Wise man.
Whatever initial sense of accomplishment Moses may have felt by leading “this people” out of Egypt evaporated in the searing climate of their perpetual petulance. The privilege of leading them to their destination had become a burden. It was no longer a blessing. Any honest leader or genuine pastor has felt the same way more than once, and is likely to experience over and over again “the burden of all this people.” Can I get a witness?
Moses was not just commissioned to guide the people out of Egypt and into the land of promise, kicking and screaming every step along the way. He was to lead them with the same nurturing spirit, soft voice, and gentle touch a nursing mother would have for her child. Moses was not called to drag them down the path of God by their hair. He was to hold them close to his heart. He was not allowed the relief of stiff-arming the stiff-necked. He was called to, “ ‘Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries a nursing infant,…’ “( v. 12)
Any Dad who has been forced to hear the relentless cry of a hungry child knows the futility of putting a pacifier in the mouth a screaming baby when the only answer is mother’s milk. Moses was bombarded by millions of people who had lived for generations in a slave culture. Holding them close to his heart meant he could hear their cries, but he could not meet their needs.
“…They weep before me…” (v. 13)
As slaves, the people had not been paid, but they had been fed. They expected no less under freedom than they experienced under slavery. Freed slaves now looked to Moses to meet their needs. He had no spiritual or nutritional resources for them. He did the wisest thing leaders or pastors can ever do when they come to the end of their rope. He went to God. He pleaded for relief. He threw in a little whining, but in all fairness, Moses went to God.
“I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me.” (V. 14)
The prayer life of Moses reveals a life of intimacy with God on a level no man had ever experienced. Still, the day to day responsibilities of leadership and shepherding a new nation into freedom, and out of bad habits was exhausting. He couldn’t live under the daily pressure of encore anxiety, and unmet needs. No one can.
“Please kill me at once, If I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness.” (V. 15)
NOTE TO SELF: The blessing of being a leader can be lost under the burden of the people. Oppression will lead you to intercession, or it will lead you to depression. This only happens EVERY TIME. When the burden overshadows the blessing, you have come to the end of your rope. Stop making rope.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
The Murmur
“Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the LORD; and when the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the LORD and the fire died out.” Numbers 11:1-2
God’s character doesn’t evolve with every passing generation. He is not some weary parent whose will to discipline His children weakens with the arrival of every newborn into the family. Holy God responds with righteous anger to fever pitched rebellion or low-grade murmuring. He won’t hear it, but He will judge it.
The fire of God’s judgment met the mind numbing murmuring of millions of ungrateful people. The people turned to Moses for relief. Moses turned to God in prayer. This is the purpose of adversity. It is meant to increase humility, not generate complaining.
Scandals in Washington, terror in the streets, financial worries, and personal tragedy can generate a great deal of verbiage. Cable networks, mainstream media, and bloviating bloggers fill the air and barrage the brain with endless complaining chatter.
There is no discernment expressed by those who know what the temperature is. Discernment is found in those who know how to change the thermostat. Complaining about the heat, and changing the climate are two different things. One requires the urge to express a personal opinion. The other is gained by seeking the face of God.
Leadership for a family, a church or a nation requires one thing, a fundamental fear of the judgment of God. Prayerful leaders find their vision and hearing improved. They see what God sees, and hear what God hears. They warn the people of the dangers ahead, and the consequences of rebellious behavior.
The people of Israel knew more about slavery than they knew about freedom. With their new found freedom, they discovered their voice. It was a complaining one. The Hebrew word for the sound that reached God’s ears can be translated as murmur or groan. He didn’t like it then, and He isn’t fond of it now. Stop it.
Murmur enters the English language virtually unchanged from the Latin expression “murmur or murmuris.” In any language it sounds the same to God. He hates the low noise, mutter, roar, growl, grunt, rumble, whisper, rustle, hum or buzz of complaining.
On a positive note, murmuring does get God’s attention, but those who murmur soon discover they are like a moth to a flame. Spoiled brats love to stand in the spotlight, but when they murmur before God, they invite God to bring the heat, not the light.
Murmuring takes the same energy as praying, but it does not bear the same fruit as praying. People who are determined to live in the negative tense will never discover anything positive to say about God or to Him. Remember this. Murmuring is heard by God, but is not appreciated. It is judged.
Humility differentiates praying from murmuring. Prayerful people are humble people. Prayerless people are complaining, prideful spoiled brats. The prayerful and the prayerless both pour out their hearts to God, and they are each heard by God. The sweet fruit of the prayerful is grace. The bitter fruit of the prayerless is judgment. Different fruit, indeed.
Judgment begins at the house of God. It always has, and it still does. In the face of any crisis, the church must lead the way to the face of God. Turning a nation around is not a matter of taking a nation back, but turning a nation back to God.
“The true church lives and moves and has its being in prayer.” Leonard Ravenhill
NOTE TO SELF: Entering into The Presence of God has always required an intercessor. The people of Israel had Moses. You have Jesus. When you enter into The Presence of God in the name of Jesus, do so with humility. You have no access and no voice before The Father, without the validation of your family relationship by The Son. Don’t confuse family with familiarity. Familiarity breeds contempt. Humility breeds family. Stop murmuring. Start praying.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
The Trumpets
“The Lord spoke further to Moses,…” Numbers 10:1
This simple statement provides a picture of a relationship between a man of prayer and his God. It is often overlooked in the rush to describe the two significant silver trumpets Moses would have made, at God’s command, “for summoning the congregation.” (V. 2)
Persistent prayer is marked by consistent, continuous conversation with God. It is accented by immediate obedience to the clear commands of God. This is the essence of prayer.
Spending time with God, listening to God, enjoying His Presence, basking in His glory to hear further from God is the spirit of prayer. When you pray, God has more to say to you than you can possible imagine. As He did with Moses, He desires to speak further with you. Listen longer to Him.
The words of the couple on The Road to Emmaus give a New Testament picture of this spirit of prayer. After walking with and listening to Jesus on a seven-mile walk, Jesus acted as if He would go further. They urged Him, “Stay with us!” Luke 24:29
The two silver trumpets were hugely important to the spiritual health of the congregation. Nothing is ever more important than knowing God desires to speak truth into you more than you want to receive it. God spoke further to Moses. He desires to speak further to you. Prayer prepares your heart to hear.
The trumpets played a significant role in the development of the spiritual welfare of the people, and in the spiritual warfare they would face when attacked by the enemy.
“…you shall sound and alarm with trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God and be saved from your enemies.” V. 9
The Trumpets were to be used to call an assembly, but to also remember that the battle is the Lord’s and He is the one who would save them from their enemies. The Trumpets were a reminder for the people not to trust in their assembled might to defeat their enemies, but to place their fear of the enemy “before the Lord your God and be saved.”
Prayerless people are prideful people, and fearful people. God’s people are not alone. They are not wayfaring orphans. They are under the protection of Almighty God. The Trumpets were sounded to remind the people of Israel about the constant watch-care God provides for His children. As the sound of the trumpets hit their ears, they would be reminded of God, and remained under the protection of God.
“…they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the LORD your GOD.” V. 10
The prayer of Moses was a rallying cry for the people more than a wakeup call for God. Before the people of Israel moved towards the enemy, The Trumpets would be sounded, and they would be comforted and encouraged by God taking the lead.
“Rise up, O LORD! And let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You.” V. 35
No matter how large the assembled army appeared to be, or how great the victory over the enemy would become, there was only one thing that mattered to Moses. The Trumpets reminded the people God watched over them day and night, and He fought for them in the middle of the fight. God wanted the people to know He goes out with them to the battle, and returns with them to the camp.
“Return, O LORD, to the myriad thousands of Israel.” V. 36
Humble, God-saturated prayer results from lingering in His Presence and listening to His voice. Prayer sounds The Trumpets in the heart and soul of warriors and reminds them they never fight alone, and the enemy is no match for their God.
NOTE TO SELF: On the road to the next Great Awakening there are many unknown ambushes, and hidden landmines already placed in your path by the enemy. Never forget this. God goes before you to face the enemy, and He remains with you to protect those you love. Between “Rise up” and “Return” God is always with you. Praying your way through enemy attacks or friendly fire will give you a sense of God’s Presence like nothing else can.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
The Invocation
“The LORD bless you, and keep you; The LORD make His face to shine on you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.’ So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.”
Numbers 6:24-27
The LORD gave Moses a blessing to pass on to Aaron and his sons, and they were to pass it on to the sons of Israel. (v.23) The blessing began in the heart of God, and the words define His character. The human language has rarely contained so much truth in so few words.
When a meeting is held in the name of Jesus and for the honor and glory of God, nothing quenches the Spirit like turning the spotlight off of God, and onto the program personalities. Perhaps nothing does this more effectively than the use of prayer as a platform to grab a little face time with the crowd, rather than turn the faces of the people toward the face of God.
I will never forget the time a preacher was called on to give The Invocation at a meeting I attended in Austin, Texas. He took 20 minutes to tell us about his family connection with Davy Crocket. Even for Texans this was a stretch of holy hubris.
When it comes to prayer, the focus is always on the face of God, not your family tree or the fruit of your own labors. Pointing people anywhere else is not prayerful intercession. It is prideful rebellion. Stop it!
The blessing was not a few magic words meant to be spoken over the people of Israel to relieve them from their own responsibility of seeking a personal relationship with God. In the past Moses had revealed the power of God through the use of his staff. The Invocation pointed them to their need for personal intimacy with God. They would find it by seeking His face, not leaning on a staff.
The words reveal The Lord as the primary source for all the people of Israel needed to know about restoring intimacy with Him. When the people found themselves in need of the blessing of God, they could invoke His name and seek His face to restore a right relationship with Him.
Moses spoke to God face to face. The people had seen the countenance of his face reflect the glory of The LORD. God’s heart is full of blessing and favor. The words of blessing He gave to Moses opened the door for the people to experience Him, not just to endure a religion about Him.
God offered to them intimacy with Him they had never known. He offered blessing to them, if they would turn their faces to Him. Sadly, the people of Israel would trade His offer of a face-to-face relationship with Him for a religion about Him. It would be no blessing. It never is.
There is a growing cry rising from the hearts of the people of this nation, calling on God for a Great Awakening. The obvious need for a turnaround has led millions to pray to God for something only He can give. This is a great first step towards the face of God.
These prayers for Awakening are heard, but the answer will be hastened by a clear understanding of what has caused the need for a fresh movement of God. God’s people are experiencing the result of decades of rebellious activity carried out in His name, without an intimacy with His Presence.
Religious Liberty always becomes a victim when genuine, God-focused worship is replaced by self-centered, man-made religion. When those who say they worship God, do not reflect the countenance of God, they lose their passion in the pulpits and the pews, and are soon forced from the public square.
“Nothing would turn the nation back to God so surely and so quickly as a Church that prayed and prevailed. The world will never believe in a religion in which there is no supernatural power. A rationalized faith, a socialized Church, and a moralized gospel may gain applause, but they awaken no conviction and win no converts.” Samuel Chadwick
NOTE TO SELF: Judgment begins at the house of God. Any passion you have for an Awakening did not begin in your heart. Awakening begins in God’s heart. He is seeking you. Turn your face towards Him. He longs to be gracious to you. Don’t wait for a crowd to turnaround. God is calling you. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. The Spirit longs to give you peace. Let Him.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
The Tent
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting…’Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel…”
The census was not a matter of counting nickels and noses to establish bragging rights over the church down the street. The LORD called on Moses to count the people to prepare an army for war.
One of the slogans of the church growth movement is, “We count people, because people count.” The contemporary church has done a good job counting people who show up for services. They have not done as good a job at training them for war.
Pastors love to count people who come to hear them preach. They often discover not all the people they count can be counted on to go to war. It is one thing to count people. It is another thing to train people who can be counted on.
“Until the church utilizes prayer as the world class weapon in the battle against evil, there will be little hope of a turnaround.”
George Barna
Humility is the first step in any successful march to victory in Spiritual Warfare. God calls on His people who are called by His name to humble themselves in The Presence of God.
“My people who are called by My name, humble themselves.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
Moses sought God in “the tent of meeting.” He was in the right place at the right time. He was humble enough to enter. He stayed long enough to hear and to obey the voice of God.
When Moses heard the voice of God, he obeyed what He heard, the first time he heard it. He didn’t’ seek a second opinion, or do a word study to determine if God really meant what He said.
Delayed obedience on the part of a leader is a clear sign of a rebellious heart. What the leader does in moderation, the people will do in excess. Moses did not delay. He obeyed.
“So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name, and they assembled all the congregation together ...just as the Lord had commanded Moses.” V. 17-19
There are two vital lessons on prayer to be learned from the life of Moses. He fleshed them out between, “The Lord spoke” and his completion of the task “Just as the Lord had commanded…”
Moses sought God’s face in “the tent of meeting” for one purpose, to hear from Him. This is the first fundamental priority of prayer. The primary purpose of prayer is to put an intercessor in the right position to hear from God, not to talk to Him.
Secondly, when Moses heard from God, he immediately obeyed God. The Hebrew language is rich in meaning when it comes to the expression of hearing and obeying. The words hearing and obeying are virtually interchangeable.
The Hebrew word, “shama,”contains the concepts of listening, hearing, and obeying. In short, to hear God speak leaves no other option to choose or any other opinion to heed. When Moses left The Tent, he obeyed what God said. Anything less than immediate obedience would have been rebellion towards God. It still is.
Moses did not go into The Tent to give God instruction. He went there to be brought into alignment with God’s plan for his life. He left with a commission, and he carried it out, “just as the LORD had commanded.”
NOTE TO SELF: Your intercession begins with a deep desire to seek God’s face. You should seek Him where He may be found. Moses went to “The Tent of Meeting.” You should know where your tent is. Moses came out of The Wilderness and into The Tent. You should too. Staying in The Wilderness is not a path to success in the battle against evil. When you pray, you are not calling in reinforcements. You are joining God’s army for the fight of your life.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!