The Obstinate

“I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation. Then Moses entreated the Lord His God.” Exodus 32:9-11

Two worlds collide when an intercessor stands in the gap between Holy God and an obstinate people. An entreaty is not a call for well-deserved judgment. It is a passionate prayer for undeserved mercy. Moses modeled it. Jesus continues it.

Intercessors do their best work when they see sin the way God sees it. Those who pray to God intending to excuse, rename, or condone sin are not honest brokers seeking God’s mercy. They are obstacles to it. Drifting from prayer does not increase your mercy for sinners. It increases your blindness to sin.

Intercession is not a matter of siding with sin against an angry God. It is the capacity to see sin for what it is, hate it the way God hates it, but still seek His mercy for people who are obstinate enough to live in it.

“’Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people.’…So the Lord changed His mind.” V. 14

Moses was not a man without a temper who suffered fools gladly, but he suffered them nonetheless. He was not above expressing his anger towards the complaining, murmuring people he had been called to lead, but when their future was in the balance, he interceded for them.

“Discernment is God’s call to intercession, never fault-finding.” Oswald Chambers

Moses had yet to see what God had seen, so he did not have the same clear perspective on what sin had done to the people. His prayer was not completely informed, but it was infused with passion for the promise God had made to His people. His prayer was a balanced concern for a protection of God’s reputation and the integrity of His promise made to His people.

“Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand…It came about, as soon as Moses came near the camp that he saw the calf… and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.” V. 15-19

When Moses got a firsthand glimpse of what God had seen, he gave the obstinate people a choice. “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” V. 26

The sons of Levi came to Moses and were charged with killing those who refused to turn back to God. After 3,000 obstinate people died, Moses explained that this was done – “in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today.” V. 29

The changing of God’s mind was a blessing, but it did not wipe out all the consequences of the people’s sin. God did not blot out the people, but he did not ignore their idolatry. He never will.

Moses returned to the mountain to restore what sin had cost an obstinate people. The loss of intimacy with God is the high price of sin. Punishment won’t restore it. Repentance will.

“Two things break the heart of God. Rebellion and repentance.” Don Miller, Bible Based Ministries

“Now I am going up to the Lord, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” V. 30

As Moses prayed, his words seem to have taken his breath away. Between “If” and “If not” Moses shifts from passionate intercession to complete identification. This unfinished prayer is one of the finest expressions of entreaty in the Bible. He calls on God to treat him the same way He would treat the people if they cannot be forgiven. The very essence of entreaty is intercession that leads to identification with people in need of mercy.

“Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if You will, forgive their sin – and if not, please blot me out of Your book which you have written!” V. 32

NOTE TO SELF: Judgment begins at the house of God. Praying for your nation to experience a Great Awakening will not exempt the church from being punished for turning to idols that have robbed the people of intimacy with God. Awakening removes anything that has pushed prayer to the back burner of the church. Repentance doesn’t remove consequences of rebellion, but don’t be obstinate. Repent anyway. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

“I will punish them for their sin. Then the Lord smote the people, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made..” V. 35

The President

“You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out, to Me, I will surely hear his cry; and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.” Exodus 22:23

There is no clearer promise from God than, “I will surely hear his cry.” The Father in Heaven has a heart for His children, and a special place in His heart is reserved for the widow and the orphan. God Himself warns those who consider bringing any pain into the lives of these vulnerable people that they are inviting His righteous judgment to fall down on them.

“If human tribunals fail to administer justice, God intervenes to deliver His own who cry out to Him day and night.” Dr. Herbert Lockyer (1886-1984)

When this British preacher penned these words he could have scarcely envisioned the capacity of a Christian culture to create, condone and compensate a killing machine that would murder 60 million children through legalized abortion.

Lockyer ministered in England and America through two world wars. He, along with the rest of his generation, witnessed the tragic atrocity of six million Jews being exterminated by a Christian nation that had birthed the Reformation. 

Great Britain and America were the birthplaces of the Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th Centuries. Who would have ever believed that Christians in both nations would allow the legalized deaths of the most vulnerable of God’s creation.

Those of us who raise our voices to God, praying for the next Great Awakening, would do well to raise our hands to stop the continued holocaust of abortion. The cries call for God’s wrath.

Disposing of the fatherless before they take their first breath, does not dull the ears of The Father from hearing their cry as they are torn from the womb. Some dismiss efforts to end this slaughter because it is the law of the land, saying, “the people have spoken.” Don’t turn a deaf ear to the voice of an angry God. Listen to Him, “My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you

The two major parties of this nation are currently gathering forces for a political throwdown to choose the next President of the United States. One party claims to be the champion of social justice. Another claims to be the holding vessel for fiscal responsibility. Influential leaders in both parties continue to distance themselves as fast as they can from the prying eyes of God on their potential platforms. This never ends well. Can you say, “Whig Party?” But I digress.

Any cursory view of the daily news reveals that Christians all over the world is under attack, and pastors are being threatened at home. Pulpits that were silent about abortion in the 20th Century are being threatened with dire consequences if they speak out in the 21st Century. Basic biblical truth is now considered hate speech. There are consequences to cowardice and courage. Choose courage.

God promised He will hear the cry of the widow and the orphan. His ears are not dulled by the strong shouts of those who demand their right to kill the weak. He still hears, and He is still angry.

Prayers for the next Great Awakening must be lifted up in the face of an angry God who is prepared to pour out the full measure of His wrath on His people, if they do not cry out for His mercy. They must admit that they deserve judgment, and stand in need of mercy.

Anything less turns prayer into pious posturing, resembling the excuses made by German Christians during WW II. Trains filled with Jews were often parked outside their churches during the worship hour. When the cries of those being carried away to certain death reached their ears, they would sing louder. 

What Christians are experiencing around the world, and at home is beginning to stir the hearts of millions to pray as never before. Still, many are praying for a change to be made in The White House without giving much concern to the demands God has placed on His House. This is where Awakening begins.

“And Jesus entered into the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers… And He said to them, “It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER.’” Matt. 21:13

The Father in Heaven has chosen to dwell in the hearts of His people through The Person of His Holy Spirit. For a season of time, He condescended to extend His Presence to the Holy of Holies, but He never confined Himself to brick and mortar. He longs to reside and preside in the hearts of His people. Where He resides, He presides. Where He is resident, He is president.

NOTE TO SELF: Take great care to place a spiritual leader in the White House who seeks the direction, protection and correction of The Father for his daily life and this nation. Do not presume that having a spiritual leader in the White House exempts you from humbling yourself before God in your house.

Your heart is not just a place where God resides. It is where He presides. Your heart is Christ’s home. Let the next Great Awakening begin in you today.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Staff

“Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” Exodus 17:8

The people of Israel tested God. This internal strife was a great distraction to Moses. He handled it with prayer. The enemy attacked at the very moment God provided a victory over themselves. This should never come as a surprise. It is inevitable.

When the army of Amalek attacked the people of Israel, Moses confronted this external opposition with both physical force and spiritual power. While Joshua fought, Moses prayed. In any battle, both are fighting and praying are essential.

People often turn to prayer as an alternative to genuine panic, but rarely recognize it as a source of practical power. Moses was confronted with the destruction of the people of Israel.  God’s redemptive plan for the world hung in the balance. He didn’t let the enemy go unchallenged. He called out warriors, and he prayed.

Moses put physical weapons into the hands of the people, and challenged them to defend themselves. He also picked up the weapon of prayer and lifted his eyes to Heaven. When an enemy attack comes, the engagement must be fought on both the physical and the spiritual level.  

Some people are so heavenly they are of no earthly good. When they see you in a crisis or their nation battling tyranny, they may tell you they will pray for you. Still, their passionless piety leaves you with the impression that you are on your own. If they won’t lift a finger to help you, or register to vote they can’t be trusted to lift up a prayer for you or your nation.

Still, there are other people so engaged in every conflict and crisis that they have long since distanced themselves from any dependence on God. They have declared their independence, and fight every battle in their own strength. Soon their mission statement becomes, “Die Heretic.” After all the blood is shed, and the bodies are dead on the floor, they gasp, “To God be the glory.”

The essential balance of Joshua fighting and Moses praying should not be overlooked or under-emphasized. There are times when God intends His people to have skin in the game. They are meant to fight the enemy. This does not mean they are on their own, or free to do their own thing.

Prayer is the climate in which every crisis should be handled and every battle should be fought. It clears away the fog of war, and purifies the motive of the warrior.

When the battle began Moses stood on a hill and extended his staff over the conflict. The people of Israel prevailed when Moses interceded for them in this manner. When he tired, the enemy surged in with more power, and the people retreated.

“So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed…when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.” V. 11

Aware of the power of prevailing prayer, two men offered their physical support. Aaron and Hur found a stone so Moses was able sit and to rest. Then they stood by his side, undergirding his arms and extending the staff over the raging battle.

“But Moses’ hands were heavy. They they took a stop and put it under him, and he sat on it, and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek.” v.12-13

NOTE TO SELF: Until you utilize prevailing prayer as the world-class weapon in your battle against evil, you will tire in the fight, without ever realizing the power that is available to you to defeat the enemy you face. Call people to the fight, but don’t ever forget where the battle is won.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The People

“So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, ‘What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me.’ “ Exodus 17:4

When I was in seminary, a fellow student sat next to me in our Philosophy of Religion class. We were both youth pastors serving in churches in the area. I served in Fort Worth. He survived in Dallas.

People from the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth have always had a strong rivalry, and they have never thought they had very much in common. Apparently they did then, and I am pretty sure they still do.

Each day before class began, my friend and I would catch up on our early attempts at ministry. I still laugh at something he said. His words were honest, and strangely prophetic. He said,  “I just discovered something. I love the ministry. It’s people I can’t stand.”

It is a rare minister that has never had a “Moses Moment.” Can I get a witness?

Moses was an intercessor. One of the hazards of his calling was the constant experience of being squeezed between the expectations of the people and the guiding hands of God.

Character building is a lot like making sausage. It is a messy process. The end product is wonderful, but watching it happen can be a bit disturbing. Moses loved God, and had a heart for the people, but even he could be prodded to a level of resentment. When he reached his flash point, he didn’t lash out at the people, he reached out to God. Well prayed, Moses, well prayed.  

Seeking intimacy with The Lord kept Moses from being intimidated by The People. Moses may have been a bit dramatic, but not by much. Undisciplined people who aren’t having their needs met or their preferences honored can turn a prayer meeting into a business meeting, and a peaceful congregation into a lynch mob in the flash of an eye.

Trips to Israel have taught me this much. The Wilderness is filled with stones, but more to the point. People who choose to wander in a self-centered wilderness will never run out of something to stumble over and mumble about. Those who intend to turn grumbling into rumbling will never run out of ammunition. Whether you live in a glass house or not, you can expect some of the people in your life to throw rocks.

It is impossible to remove all the rocks out of the path of The People. Prayer doesn’t make the rocks go away, but prayer places them in the hands of God. He has a way of making a pathway in the wilderness out of the rockiest of roads.

Moses cried out to God and asked, “What shall I do to this people?” Prayer clears the way to receive God’s direction for His people. The Lord turned the focus of Moses away from his fear and towards the heart of the issue.

“They tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’“ V. 7

Moses was in the line of fire, but the people were throwing rocks at God. This is the danger in mumbling about God. It eventually turns into rumbling with God. I recall the title of a Gospel musical I attended years ago in the city of Houston, “Your Arms Are Too Short to Box with God.” Indeed they are.

NOTE TO SELF: When the preferences and prodding of The People provoke you to return fire, start praying. The cry of Moses was a call for God to step in to provide a solution, not ammunition. Remember. Jesus is The Rock. Give them Jesus.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Stand

“Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today.” Exodus 14:13

Moses never appeared more convincing and courageous than when he voiced this challenge to the fear-filled people of Israel. As the chariots of Pharaoh bore down on them, they cried out to God, but they poured their sarcasm onto Moses. He rose to the occasion with a message of hope. He must have quickly exited the public stage, and found a private place behind a rock to cry out in panic to God.

Moses didn’t take a stand. He took a knee. The wisest intercessors know there is danger in posing, but there is great refuge in praying. Moses may have started out posing, but he ended up praying. He was a wise man, indeed.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are your crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.” V:15

The process of prayer and the purpose of prayer never change. The process of prayer involves bringing you face to face with God in breathless panic. When you realize you have come to the end of your rope, stop making rope. Start praying.

The purpose of answered prayer is to leave you gasping for breath to honor God, not grasping for credit for what He did. Prayer brings His Presence into the middle of your crisis. Don’t turn it into a “selfie.” Step out of the limelight and give Him all the glory.

Prayer is not an equal partnership, but it does reveal a form of cooperation best described by the yoke relationship. One leads. The other follows. The synergy appears seamless, but there is always one who provides greater strength and clear direction. Together great things are done, but there is only one Captain. Prayer warriors do not seek to be in authority. They choose to be under authority.

“As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.” V. 16

“As for Me…I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army…then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored…” V. 18

“As for you” and “As for Me” describe the partnership of prayer perfectly. Moses came to God in panic. He was placed in a position of power. This is the process. He gave all of the honor and all of the glory to God. This is the purpose.

“Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and said, I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; the horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.” Exodus 15:1-2

“Pray like it depends on God, work like it depends on you.”

This quote has been attributed to everyone from St. Augustine to John Wesley and even to Dave Ramsey. So, who knows? The truth is prayer begins and ends with God. It was His idea, and any participation in it should be viewed as the privilege of a junior partner, not a managing director.

NOTE TO SELF: Standing on the promises of God is a great deal more effective when you are kneeling on the premises of your latest crisis. Praying before, during and after a crisis prepares you to honor God for His deliverance and His Presence. Moses may not have been honest to the people regarding all that was going on in his heart, but he was honest where it counted the most. He was honest to God. Answers to your prayers begin on your part with the humility and honesty. They end with honoring God for His part in answering your prayers.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Supplication

“He went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the Lord.” Exodus 10:18

Moses earned his stripes as an intercessor the day he stood between a penitent Pharaoh and Omnipotent God. Time would prove Pharaoh to be a penitent poser, not a repentant sinner. It is one thing to admit your life is in a mess. It is quite another thing to turn your back on the way of life that got you into the mess.

Supplication is a synonym for the word intreaty. It seems to put an emphasis on asking God to supply a need. Intreaty, though not often used contemporary language, carries the weight of intense, fervent prayer that produces amazing results. Supplication without intensity may express a prayer for a need to be met in your life, but intreaty describes intense intercession for a need to be met in someone else’s life.

Intense intercession is not a matter of parsing words or repeating predictable phrases. Intreaty is not merely eloquence. It is Spirit-filled intensity unleashed on behalf of the needs of friend and foe.

Pharaoh was no friend of the children of Israel. Still, Moses prayed for him with the same intensity and earnestness that he prayed for his family and friends. This is the learning curve God has in store for those who enter The School of Prayer.

NOTE TO SELF: It is not impossible to hate people when you pray for them, but praying for them makes it harder for you to feed your hatred of them. When God forgives your enemies, you will discover supplication has prepared your heart, by softening it with His grace. Prayer opens your heart and your arms to receive your enemies into God’s family. All of your enemies will not turn around and receive God's grace. Pray for them anyway. They need it, and you need the practice.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE1

The Why

“O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? Ever since I came to this Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all?” Exodus 5:22-23

When it came to intercessory prayer, Moses was not afraid to put “The Why?” into his whine. His outrage over unanswered prayer and delayed deliverance turned his intercession into a confrontation with The Deliverer. He was furious over God’s delay, and he complained about being sent down a dead end street. It turned out to be a very effective prayer

When I was a student in college and seminary there was a popular belief being passed around that didn’t pass the test of biblical examination. The pious phrase posing as profound truth was, “It is a sin to ask God, ’Why?’ “If this is true, Moses was a great sinner. He may have been, but God responded to his cry of “Why?” with a powerful promise, not punishment.

“Now you shall see what I will do.” Exodus 6:1

There is nothing like God’s call to a grand task. It births great expectations, both true and false. When God invites you to participate in something that He has initiated, you may wonder, “What could possibly go wrong?” The call is accompanied by the sweet anticipation of applause, appreciation, and awards. When fantasy meets reality, it is always a rude wake up call.

Everything had begun with such great promise for Moses. When he presented God’s plan to deliver the sons of Israel, he did so faithfully. When The Vision was delivered to the people, they responded with enthusiastic belief. Hope is a powerful force when injected into the human spirit.

“He then performed the signs in the sight of the people so that the people believed, and when they heard that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped.” Exodus 4:29

Fresh from the revival meeting with the people, Moses confronted Pharaoh with God’s plan. The monarch did not release the people of Israel. Instead, he increased their labor. Rather than rebelling against Pharaoh, the people reacted by ramping up their angst towards Moses.

“They said to them, ‘May the Lord look upon you and judge you, for you have made us odious in Pharaoh’s sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.” Exodus 5:21

The Vision was completely clear, and clearly delivered. The purpose was also completely rejected by Pharaoh and the process clearly resented by the people. What appeared to be a clear path to victory was the beginning of a long walk in The Wilderness. Moses was no longer leading a parade to freedom. He was being treated like a speed bump on the road to disaster.

The Vision is often accompanied by a revision.  The people of Israel not only needed to be delivered from Pharaoh. They needed to know the content of the character of their Deliverer.

Moses was God’s messenger to His people. God was The Deliverer of His people.

Moses and the people of Israel had much to learn about God, and He was preparing to take them to school. The only short cut in The School of Prayer is a trip to the woodshed. God never hesitates to take His children there early and often. But I digress.

Moses may have anticipated opposition from Pharaoh, but he was not prepared for the reaction of the people of Israel. They knew enough about God to be dangerous. Most people do. They chose to curse Moses in God’s name.

The people didn’t trust in the character of God to intercede for Moses as their leader. When the people of Israel poured out their wrath on Moses, he poured out his prayer to God. This may be the greatest lesson Moses provides for anyone in pastoral ministry.

Pastor, when the people are running you down, run to God. People, when your pastor runs into a roadblock, don’t treat him like a speed bump on your way to calling a new pastor. Pray for God to remove the obstacles in front of him.

“Then Moses returned to the Lord…” Exodus 5:22

NOTE TO SELF: You don’t have to be wrong for people to come to the wrong conclusion about you. Moses was spot on with his presentation of The Vision. He was telling the truth every step along the way. The only thing Moses may have been wrong about was the length of the journey. God intended to break Pharaoh’s hardened will, to turn Moses into an intercessor, and to transform hopeless slaves into a hardened army. This was not going to be an easy road. It would be a long slow walk down the road of obedience. When God puts you on the right road, don’t look for an exit. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The "I"

“‘Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt? And He said, ‘Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you.” Exodus 3:10-12

One of the warning signs of a self-made man with a self-destructive sense of direction is his overuse of the letter “I” to tell his story. Moses was a man with “I” trouble and in danger of missing God. When He heard God’s new direction for his life, he evaluated his prospects based upon his past experiences, not God’s personal Presence.

The wise man is a humble man who understands that his story is actually a part of HIS story. He obeys God  and gives the glory to Him for any and everything he accomplishes, without taking credit for any of it.  

Moses was a broken man, when God called him to the greatest mission of his life. He responded with a question for God, not immediate obedience to Him.  He revealed a heart filled with the fear of man and the fear of failure, not the fear of God.

“Who am I?”  ~ Moses

Moses had been looking down on himself without looking up to God. Intimidated by past failures, Moses lost sight of God in the present tense, and counted himself worthless in the future tense. Suffering from “I” trouble, Moses focused on how little he had to bring to the table, not on God’s Presence at the table.

Instead of contradicting Moses, or bucking up his spirits, God offered Moses His Presence. He told him,  “I will be with you.” The Presence of God is always the remedy for “I” trouble.

When contemporary preaching focuses on building up the self-esteem of selfish children rather than focusing the eyes of people on God, it is time for vision correction. Vision will not be restored, by examining the lint in your own navel

NOTE TO SELF: Lift up your eyes, and focus on God.

When “I” dominates your praying it becomes prideful posturing. When it is used in your preaching, you become the subject of the message. “I” focuses the message on the messenger not The Master. When you insert “I” in your parenting, it invites the proverbial “Eye” roll of your children. Prayer practices The Presence of The Father in the name of Jesus. Believe it when He tells you, “I will be with you.”

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Help

“And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out, and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God.” Exodus 2:23

Recently on Fox News, Mr. Bill O’Reilly asked Evangelist Franklin Graham what the church should do to help the persecuted Christians around the world. Graham’s response was, “We must pray for them.” In exasperation, O’Reilly blurted out that something more powerful must be done. He just didn’t know how much he revealed about his ignorance of the power of prayer.

Exodus is the story of God’s people led by a man who had come to the end of his rope. When Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt, it looked like a victory march. Actually, it was the beginning of a prayer walk that would last the next 40 years.

Bondage prepared God’s people to be led. Exile prepared the leader. Prayer would bring them together. It was not always a happy marriage, but it was a powerful one.

Prayer is not answered because it flows from the heart with great emotion. Nor is prayer answered because of the decibel level it reaches. Prayer is answered when The Help arrives, not when the cry is made.

Answered prayer is a result of sending cries to the right Person. Tears alone are not the key to answered prayer. There will be no hope of relief if prayer is not pointed to the only One who can provide The Help.

In Exodus Moses became known as The Law Giver.  A closer look at his track record reveals he was The Intercessor. The Law was a gift from God, but the book of James provides insight into the greatest legacy Moses would leave to The Kingdom.

“The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16

Moses was a great leader because he was a great intercessor. This means he was always the man in the middle, never at the top. He stood between God and the children of Israel and prayed for God to help them, even when they didn’t deserve it.

Moses would entreat God to help His children not on the basis of their need, but in light of His character. This is the essence of hope and the key to answered prayer.

God is only waiting for intercessors to cry out to him for the needs of others. Still, He is waiting. He moves towards the sounds of His children crying to Him. The Father kneels down towards them, when they cry out to Him. The Psalmist understood this.

“Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to hear my cry!” Psalms 88:2

NOTE TO SELF: Your cries for help are not answered because you have the stamina to shout loud and long. Your prayers are answered because you are asking the right Person for help. You no longer lean on your own resources.  You are no longer the man with the plan. You are the man with the pain in your heart. When you feel the pain of others, and bring it to God, you become an intercessor. You know you can do nothing on your own to help them. Turn to God as your first choice, not your last resort. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!  

The Blessing

“He blessed them, everyone with the blessing appropriate to him.” Genesis 49:28

 Jacob’s life got off to a rocky start, but as Israel, he finished strong. When he encountered God, he experienced more than a name change. He had a change of direction, and he stayed on course. 

The older I get the idea of finishing strong becomes more important with every passing day. Regret or resentment are thieves that rob you of the opportunity to make the most of the lessons learned when life doesn’t go according to your plans. Israel didn’t die a bitter old man. He died a blessed man, and he passed the blessing on to his sons, and their families. 

 “Jacob’s final hours show us how to die – blessing and praying!”  Herbert Lockyer

 When Israel faced death, he didn’t run from it. He embraced it. He died the way he lived, turning to God in prayer, and seeking a blessing for his family. This may be his greatest legacy.

 Tribe after tribe received a blessing and a charge from the patriarch of the family. When he had finished The Blessing, Israel died.  Perfect timing. 

 “When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last…”Genesis 49:33

Jacob’ last years were spent listening to God, and hearing God’s plan for his children. Wise parents will take a page out of Jacob’s parenting manual and spend more time praying for their children as adults than they ever did praying over them as infants. 

The consequences of decisions made by a six year old can be disturbing, but the impact of unwise choices made by a sixty-six year old can be catastrophic. The foolish parent believes they get all their raising in before a child leaves their home. Wise parents add prayer for their adult children to their daily routine. 

Jacob revealed keen insight into the unique character of his sons. Some had more, and some had less, but they were not all the same. See Genesis 49:3-27

NOTE TO SELF: Learn the key to understanding the blessing God has in store for you children, and pass it on to them. What blesses one child may be a curse to the other. Perhaps the most revealing words of a prayerless parent are found in the statement, “I don’t know what happened to my kids. I treated them all the same.” This is a recipe for disaster.  Your children are a gift from God. He knows them better than you do. Prayer turns you to Him for operating instructions. Instead of giving your children a piece of your mind, pray for them to know the peace of God, at any age. They never outgrow the need for God’s direction, protection and correction. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!