It's OK For God To TALK To Us.

It is NOT OK for us to see Him. He refused to allow Moses (SEE Exodus 33:20) to look upon His face, but the reason was not that He did not want Moses to have a warm, close, personal relationship with Him, or that He was unwilling to share Who He was with him. God refused only because His heavenly glory could not be tolerated by a mortal. This is primarily why those of us who believe in Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, will have to have glorified bodies to exist in His heaven and His presence.

B-U-T- this does not refrain Him from communicating with us. Most of the 33rd chapter of Exodus describes a rather lengthy dialogue between God and Moses. I have long admired Moses...for a good, many reasons, but primarily because of this dialogue that tells us as much about God as it does Moses. God was willing to stand right there in the presence of a mere mortal, and both listen and reply to Moses' objections! Did you catch this? Moses strongly objected to God's propositions...and God not only listened to his logic, but granted what he...Moses...proposed! Unbelievable! Amazingly fascinating!

God said in essence, "Moses, I am going to do this". And Moses said, "NO, God, You cannot do this,
and here are my reasons why". Essentially, Moses' logic was that God's honor was at stake, and that if He went ahead and wiped Israel off from the face of the earth, the nations would not believe that He could do what He said He could do for and through Israel.

The Bible says (SEE Numbers 12:3) that Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth, but this humility was in his self-esteem and low opinion of himself. He was courageous in his intercessions for other people...and he was a fighter in defense of God's honor...and he was eminently brave when he knew he was talking to His God!

WE cannot see God either, but He talks with us, and wants to talk to us, and is more than willing for us to trade ideas and thoughts with Him.

Intercessory Prayer Is Hard!

Anyone who is presently practicing, or has ever engaged in, intercessory prayer knows this is true. But Why?

1. Because of its nature. It is a selfless endeavor. It is nearly 100% in the behalf of other persons and their needs. For this to be a consistent, constant activity of a Christian, his or her heart must be emptied of self, and filled with the Holy Spirit.

2. Because it requires constant self-discipline. It requires a consistent time commitment. A regular time and place, but when schedules or activities are changed, it can be...and will be...engaged in at any time and in any circumstances. (The prophet Habakkuk demonstrates this self-discipline. [SEE Habakkuk 2:1]: "I will stand upon my watch; I will set me upon my prayer place; I will wait and see what He will say to me...".)

3. Because it gets us out of the arena of the flesh and into the realm of the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 10:3 & 4: "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. For the weapons of our (spiritual)
warfare are not carnal (fleshly), but mighty through God to the pulling down of (spiritual, satanic)
strongholds".

4. Because of numbers 2 and 3, it engages the forces of Satan in spiritual warfare. SATAN HATES
INTERCESSORS, AND CONSTANTLY TARGETS THEM. Because of this, intercession requires strong, courageous hearts and a total confidence in God.

5. Because it is a lonely, solitary battle. Few Christians stay with it. Many believe in it...and try it...most often when there is a crises in their lives...but other things crowd it out.

6. Because results are seldom seen. This is another reason why most Christians "try it", and then soon give up. We are a "results oriented" people. We want to "see".
True intercession is more an activity of the Holy Spirit within than of human effort...BUT there is much waiting on God at His throne of grace before an aligning of our spirits and wills occurs.

7. Because there are few examples, and little preaching, about it. Most Christians are honest enough to not recommend it if they are not practicing it.

8. Because there is no recognition or record keeping on intercessory prayer. It is NOT a practice heard or written about much. EXCEPT what comes from the Lord above, there is little encouragement.

Her Name is Naomi

You have noticed - as I often do - how certain words, phrases, idioms and practices always bring a specific person to mind.

I invariably think of the late Dr. Melvin Snyder when I correctly pronounce the short word "err" as UR, and not AIR. As a careful communicator - speaking or writing - correct usage is a constant pursuit, so when he pronounced this short word "err" as UR in his preaching, I went to a dictionary at the first opportunity to "check him out". He was accurate.

Accordingly, my everyday life is constantly reminding me of this person or another one - most of them, unwittingly - who have been my teachers. Indeed, all of us are hoeplessly indebted to our teachers, and we faithfully mirror them. A lifetime pet peeve of mine is the so-called "self made" person.

My good friend, Naomi Hall, gave me some excellent advise many years ago that has unquestionably enriched my pastoral ministry. As usually happens, she was unaware of her comments being "pastoral advise", but gave me an excellent insight into the continuing needs of hurting hearts.

She observed to Deloris and me at the event of her mother's funeral, "I don't know why family and friends surround us with so much compassion and sympathy at the time, and then just forget ever after". The Holy Spirit used her wise comment to alter and expand my expressions of support and caring.

It is a matter of recognizing that grief and loss does not leave the affected person like the activating of a switch. Probably the greatest lesson to be relearned here is the simple application of the golden rule. What if it were you or me?

From that point of losing a loved one or good friend, the Lord has greatly enlarged my vision of not only hurting people, but those also who have had huge disappointments, adjustments or changes in their lives.

And so, we go through our lives each day in debt to our teachers, and, when possible, tell them how much we appreciate them and their lessons. Teachers are my heroes!

"Awesome - Absolutely"

These two responses have wearied my mind by their overuse. They are not only passe' (worn out) responsive words, but very un-intellectual. It is a "monkey see - monkey do" mentality that thoughtlessly replaces meaning with repetition.

In their overuse, thoughtful minds avoid their appropriate and beneficial use because of it. They are highly expressive words avoided by careful speakers and writers simply because of thoughtless repeition by others. It is a shame when they are surrendered because of careless general overuse.

And "awesome"? A spellbinding sunset, or a fascinating electric storm, or the endless crashing of the surf, or the sparkling array of the stars, or the incomparable beauty of a rose, or the amazing twinkle of a baby's eyes, or the unsurpassed power of a smile, or the indiscriminate wagging of a dog's tail, or the incredible ability to think and speak and smell and taste and hear and see, or the precious gifts of balance, breathing, appetite, co-ordination and dexterity...THESE THINGS ARE AWESOME! Hamburgers and ballgames and stuff and such are not.

"Absolutely" is rarely correctly used, for it properly involves a finality, a supremacy and an uniquity that forbids casual usage. It is generally intended by casual speakers to imply a certainty that is unrightful. It implies a superiority that can rarely be supported in fact. I hear it regularly used when there is no basis in fact - possibly even "absolutely" no support in reality.

As with "awesome" the word "absolutely" probably would not be so offensive to thoughtful speakers if it had not devolved into such continuous mis-use.

If the right word is used, there is no need to enhance or embellish it. Words have power, and expression
is most comfortable in carefulness.