May 18, 2011
The Prayer Life of Moses
Exodus 3:16
Part Three
Praying Your Way to Major Life Change
“Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.”‘”
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Moses had seen the LORD in a burning bush, and his prayer life was forever changed. He now knew what it meant to talk with God and hear from God directly. God commissioned Moses to lead the people of God out of oppression in Egypt, and into the land flowing with milk and honey. Today, we will start with taking action upon the revelation of God. We know that Moses talked with God and we call that prayer. Through these talks with God, God changed the life of Moses. How do you pray your way to a whole new life?
Listen for Action. Moses heard God use the word “Go” (Exodus 3:16). God tells each of us to go do something all the time. He told Moses to go and gather the elders before anything else. You may remember that God told Jonah the prophet to go to Nineveh and preach salvation to them, but Jonah resisted going (Jonah 1:2-3). Jesus also told us to go into all the nations (Matthew 28:19-20). If you want God to change your life through prayer, listen carefully for the word “go.” If you sit in the same place and do the same things, then you will not “go,” but “sit.” Do not go until God says “go” (remember Acts 1:4-8), but when He says go, be sure to go right away and go to where He sends you.
Gather the Elders. God told Moses to gather the elders of Israel, and tell them about the plans God has revealed to him (Exodus 3:16). Whenever you believe that God has given you some great new task, be sure to run it by the elders at your local assembly. God specifically charged Moses to tell them and explain the plan to them, before God even began to implement the plan in Egypt.
Explain Carefully the Mission You Have from God. God specifically instructed Moses to lay out the plan of deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 3:16). God told Moses that he should tell them about the means and methods of deliverance from oppression. When God sends you to deliver a group or a person from oppression, only then should you go. God told Moses that Pharaoh would not immediately release the people, but God would compel Pharaoh through miracles and strike down Pharaoh’s resistance (Exodus 3:17-20). We can always expect resistance to oppression. The people who oppress you usually will not give up without a fight. Your best option will usually involve you leaving and moving on to the promised land. God will lead you out of oppression. Be sure, however, that if you are married, you must understand that God will break the oppression from your spouse, but never encourage you to leave the marriage, no matter what your spouse does. You may flee from physical abuse, but never flee the marriage itself (Matthew 19:1-10). Aside from divorce, in just about every other situation, one powerful solution to oppression will be to move on, and enter the promised land under God’s powerful favor.
Count upon God To Bring His Favor upon You. As Moses was to explain the plan, he would cheer the elders with news not only of deliverance from oppression, but also the favor of God would rest upon them. Specifically, God would provide silver and gold for them, and so plunder the Egyptians (Exodus 3:22). When we count upon God to change our lives, we can also expect the favor of God to rest upon us.
So we learn more about the prayer life of Moses.
● God changed Moses through prayer. God will change your life through prayer too, often with just one word: “Go.” We should heed God’s plan for our lives, and it often involves going into some new place or new ministry for Him.
● God directed Moses to gather the elders first, and explain the plan of deliverance to them. God also directs us to gather the elders and explain the plan to them. When you contemplate moving into a new ministry, or plan for your life, you should normally act in concert with the elders of your church. Do you even know the elders in your church? Ever met them? Are they Godly men?
● God planned to bless Moses and Israel with His favor, so that they would plunder their enemies and take gold and silver from them. In our lives, we should realize that God intends to deliver us from oppression, and bless our lives with His favor. Count on God.
Application for Today
Yahweh told Moses to go. We should be listening daily to God tell us about what we should be doing each day. Where should we go and what should we do when we get there? We need to pray each morning for plans and directions from God. Before you plan to take major life-changing action and start a new ministry, gather the elders and talk with them. Get to know them. Finally, are you planning on receiving favor today, and leaving your oppression behind? Why not count upon God to bless you and go for Him today?
