Daily Verse: Exodus 32:14

Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Prayer can be trying at times, especially when it seems like our words go unheard and our desired outcome seems to be missed by a mile. It might even seem logical to think that God already has his mind made up and our words to him are merely a nice way to stay in touch and don’t really change anything. In the text above, the Lord was calmed by the words that Moses spoke to him, pleading for God to show patience and mercy on the misbehaving Israelites. God was ready to rain down the fire, bring the pain, wipe the earth clean of these deviant people. In fact, in verse 10, God asks Moses to leave him alone so that his “anger may burn against them (Israelites)”. But Moses pleaded with the Lord. He reminded God of the great things He had done in bringing His people out from under Pharoah’s evil hand in Egypt. After three full verses of pleading by Moses, the Lord yields to Moses in verse 14 and does not bring an end to the deviant crowd that was “partying” at the base of the mountain. When we are speaking to the Lord, we are not addressing some untouchable king that simply tolerates his subjects and then carries on about the already decided business at hand. Rather we are speaking directly with the Living God...the One true God that desires to be involved with his children and wants nothing but the best for each of our lives. And from this verse, I am convinced that through genuine prayer, we can impact the heart of our Lord. Now by no means do I think we come even close to calling the shots or “making the puppet dance” when it comes to our impact on the Lord. After all, God is infinitely more wise than we are. He knows what is best. And at times, when we miss the mark in our requests, God will respond in His way. It may seem odd or out of place to us initially, but we will come to realize that it is exactly what we need. God doesn’t make mistakes. May we trust that the Lord gives us his full attention when we are in prayer, turning both his ears and his heart to our words. To God be the glory!