<< Back to February 2002 Sermons

2002
3rd February (pm) - The Prayer of Extreme Faith
EXODUS 33

In the fourth century, there was a church leader called Basil. He is often called Basil the Great, and in some quarters he is known as St. Basil. He was one of three men referred to as the Cappadocian Fathers, the other two being his brother Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus.

Basil displayed immense gifts in public speaking, church statesmanship and theological insight, and was outstanding in social concern and the monastic way of life. He was often called upon to act as a defender of the faith against heresy, and in the first five centuries after Christ, there were plenty of them to deal with. Such was the impact of Basil's life, it was said of him that 'his words were like thunder, because his life was like lightning.'

How would you like that to be said of you? Do you know anyone that could be described in such a manner? Someone whose words were like thunder, because their life was like lightning, someone who was outstanding in their Christian life, someone who was always on fire for the Lord.

Occasionally, we do meet a person, who seems to exhibit a deeper, more effective Christian life, the sort of Christian life the rest of us only dream about. Their faith has moved beyond the bounds of what is normal, they are living a life of extreme faith, like the way we watch people engage in extreme sports, those sports which push back the bounds of what is normal, what is safe. And such a Christian can scare us, because they seem to be consumed by God in ways that are beyond us. Their lives seemed to be determined by those themes which build a church and build a Christian life. Their lives seemed to be built on greater curiousities than the seemingly mundane things with which the rest of us fill our lives - themes which go deeper and which take a lifetime to explore.

A biblical example of a life of extreme faith, is Moses, and Exodus 33, opens up to us, those themes in Moses life, which set him apart as a man of extreme faith.

Exodus 33, is a series of conversations between Moses and the Lord. What do they talk about? The answer, says Gordon MacDonald, will make a difference as to how we see the quality and direction of our own prayer life and the exploration of a relationship with the living God.

In verses 7-11 of Exodus 33, there is a rather strange passage which seems out of place in the overall sweep of things, yet which is instructive for our understanding of this passage. Let me read it to you:

The key statement is this: The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Here is a picture of intimacy with God. A picture of intimacy which may cause us to feel inadequate, but look, Moses was in his eighties when this is said of him. Such intimacy with the Lord takes years to develop. Through forty years of being taught how to live like an Egyptian, and forty more years living in the wilderness, Moses has learned a lot about what it means to relate to God, to listen to God, to meet with God, to know God, and to speak to him as a man speaks with his friend. The question for us here is this:

When a man, when a woman talks to God, face to face, friend to friend, in this intimate fashion, what do they talk about?

Let me ask another question: What are our prayers like? Do we pray the prayers that are so much focused on ourselves and our needs, like bringing before God a shopping list of requests? Is that how most of us pray? Or are our prayers the type of 'get me out of this hole God and I will do x, y and z in return' prayers?

Is this what Moses prayed about? Is this what he talked to God about?

Before we answer the question, let me remind you of the context of this encounter with God.

When Moses encountered God at the burning bush recorded for us in Exodus 3, God asked Moses to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. You would have thought that these people would have jumped at the chance to be rid of the tag 'slave', and embark on a new life. But for nearly 20 generations these people had been slaves, so they were skeptical, mistrusting of authority, lazy, disorganised, with no culture of their own. Talk about mission impossible.
When they left Egypt, they complained, they made the golden calf, they flaunted God's grace. And now we come to a critical moment, when everything is in the balance, and while God promises the land to the people, he will not go with them.

So Moses, goes to the tent of meeting, and meets with God, and pleads with God on behalf of the people. And the man of extreme faith prays this three fold prayer:

TEACH ME YOUR WAYS (v13) Moses says to the Lord, You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favour with me.' If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favour with you. Remember that this nation is your people.

The key phrase here is, 'teach me your ways'. What do we mean by this? In Isaish 55 we read these words: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. In other words there are two ways at looking at the world. There are the ways of God, and the ways of the world. We may say that the ways of God, are God's culture, God's norms and values.

Before a missionary begins their work in their adoptive homeland, there is always a period of cultural acclimatisation, whereby the missionary learns about the culture, the language and the customs in which they will live and work. Or if you holiday overseas, it is always good to be aware of some cultural norms of the country you are visiting.

In Moses' first petition to God, he is asking God, that if he is to lead these people, then God has to teach him, God has to show Moses what is expected of him, what God's norms and values are, how these people are to live up to the tag of being God's people. In other words Moses is saying, 'I don't know enough God, I need insight into your culture, your ways.'

This is the first prayer people of extreme faith learn to pray. This is the prayer which concentrates on seeking to absorb the culture of heaven. Jesus taught us to pray, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

This is the prayer which takes seriously the desire to reflect God's character in the life of the Christian. This is the prayer which takes seriously the condition of our hearts, and to discover that God's ways are not just about the ways he changes our circumstances, but also about the ways God changes our hearts.

What is our prayer life like, as individuals and as a church? Are we merely concerned with a change of circumstances, so that life will be easier, less complicated, more successful? Or are we concerned with the greater curiousities, as Gordon MacDonald puts it, and so concerned with the transformation of our hearts, that our lives will increasingly reflect the character and person of God, that our words will be like thunder, because our lives are like lightning, that our lives will make an impact for God and his glory.

Teach me your ways, O God, its time to change my heart, its time to absorb the culture of heaven. The first prayer a man or woman of extreme faith learns to pray.

GUARANTEE TO ME YOUR PRESENCE, I CANNOT DO IT ALONE (v14-16)

Moses then says to the Lord: If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?

Moses is saying to the Lord, 'look we cannot be your people, if you are not present with us.' 'How can you teach us your ways O God, if you are not with us?' 'How will other nations know we are your people if you are not present with us?'

Presence implies guidance, help and companionship. Moses appeals to God's reputaion among the peoples of the world. Centuries later, the prophet Elijah would do a similar thing in the confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. You remember the scene well. The prophets of the god Baal, are in a frenzy calling on the name of Baal, to turn up and prove Elijah wrong. As the frenzy increases, Elijah, gifted with a sense of humour, suggests that the Baal god, was on holiday, or gone to the bathroom, or even just asleep. Then Eijah calls on the name of the Lord, and zap, contest over.

Moses, as he prepares himself for the next part of the journey wants to know about God's presence, wants to know that God will always hear his voice.

If you have young children, may be this experience is yours. As your young child settles down to sleep at night, perhaps they ask you where you will be. And you reply, 'I will be in the next room,' or 'I will be downstairs.' What are they getting at? Perhaps they want the assurance that you are close by, that if they wake up and call out, you will hear their voice in the night. They want to know you are there.

We all have our fears, and we all need the assurance that God is there, that he will hear our voice, that we are not alone.

If we desire is to absorb the culture of heaven, to be taught in God's ways, then it follows that we need to pray for God's guidance, help and companionship, because we cannot do it alone. Whether as an individual Christian, we are desiring to go deeper and grow in maturity, or as a congregation of God's people, that desires to go deeper and grow in maturity, we do need the assurance from time to time, that God is with us, in our hopes and dreams, our fears and struggles, our times of joy and our times of sadness. Guarantee to me your presence, for I cannot do it alone. And the Lord in his mercy granted Moses his request. The second prayer a man or woman of extreme faith prays.

SHOW ME YOUR GLORY (v18-19)

Then Moses said to the Lord: Now show me your glory.

Glory is a very religious word. It is not used much outside a religious context. We may say that the word glory may sum up the worth and power of a nation, a person or an organisation. So for example the glory of a nation may be expressed through its military prowess, and who could forget the images of those immense displays of military power of the old Soviet Union. And God, can dislay his glory in such a way, through a demonstration of his power.

An organisation may display its glory through its assets, through its portfolio, its value on the stockmarket and so on. And indeed God could show his glory this way, by demonstrating that the universe is his personal portfolio.

And an individual may demonstrate his or her glory, through the integrity of their character and their name. And indeed God displays his glory this way also, for his name is glorious, and he is full of glory and his character is one of integrity, of goodness, of mercy and of compassion. And it is in this way that God reveals his glory to Moses. 'I will show you my character, I will tell you my name' says the Lord.

What is Moses asking here? He is asking God to put it in writing. Guarantee to me your presence, and put it in writing by showing me your glory. And indeed the glory of God passes by Moses, but Moses only sees it in hindsight.

But at another level, this is the ultimate prayer of God's people, to see the glory of God, to see God glorified in the world, through the lives of his people, and through the life of his church. Just as all the fulness of God dwelt in Jesus Christ, so all the fulness of God dwelling in us and in the church, ought to be our life goal.

In my life Lord, be glorified, be glorified ... In your church Lord be glorified, be glorified. In many ways there is no greater prayer we could pray, for if God is being glorified in our own lives, and in the life of our church, then we are truly being taught in his ways, we are truly walking with him, for he is walking with us.

Think about the prayers you and I normally pray. Are we consumed only by the lesser curiousities, and therefore are always looking for the circumstances of our lives to be changed?

Or are we consumed by the greater curiosities, and therefore are looking for our hearts to be changed? Is God tugging at your life tonight, wanting to take you deeper, wanting you to grow in maturity, wanting to develop a greater concern for the greater curiosities in your walk with God?

What do we pray about? What are we praying about for our lives and for our church? I would dare to say that if our prayer life was focused on these greater curiousities, 'teach me your ways', 'guarantee to me your presence', 'show me your glory', we will become a more united, more vibrant, more effective community of God's people on earth. AMEN!