This is the Truth Network. Encouraging prayer. God offers an open invitation for His people to talk with Him at any time about anything. On encouraging prayer, Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer, provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray.
And now, here's James. How fun today on encouraging prayer! I love this topic, prayer and the short leash, James. I know this has got a story. Yeah, it does.
It doesn't really have much to do with dogs. You know, the expression comes from that, but it has more to do with God keeping us close and how much you know we need to do our part in that, so that. Frankly, we'll stay out of all kinds of situations. And what comes to mind is the story of Moses. You know, if you if you read Deuteronomy three twenty six and twenty seven, you you see that Moses wants so badly to go into the Promised Land and he can't go.
God says no. God says actually tells him, stop talking to me. About this, and that had to be heartbreaking for Moses because if you think about it, you know, I mean that that had been his life's purpose, and all he does is he gets to see it from a distance. You know, you could say yeah, he gets to go in later during the transfiguration, but you know his his life purpose up to that point is is not fulfilled because. Of the consequences of his sin, and of course, you know what's that all about?
What happened in that regard?
Well, you you got to go to Numbers chapter 20, verses 8 through 11, and you know God tells Moses to speak to a rock to bring water out of it, and You know, it's an interesting circumstance because what happens is Moses is angry with the community, and because he is just angry, he he flies off the handle, and he strikes the rock with his rod, and water comes out. And you know, he says, "Must we bring water from this rock for you, rebels?" As if he's kind of pointing to himself, you know, that he's the one doing it. And I think that's a big part of what's behind what what happened there and why, you know, God really disciplined him so harshly. But previously, it's interesting. God had had Moses strike the rock at another time and and brought water up, but this time he had said, "Speak to it." And Moses strikes it and said instead, and because of that, he doesn't get to go into the Promised Land.
And here's the amazing thing: the water still came out, right? Yeah, the the water still came out of the rock, even though Moses disobeyed God. God still blessed his people, and I think there's a real moral in that for. People who are called to Christian leadership, maybe you're called as a pastor or a teacher, and and you know you're not walking with God the way you should be, but that doesn't mean that God isn't going to bless His people through you.
Sometimes He may choose still to bless them, but like Moses, there may be consequences for your actions. You know. And and that's the real sobering thing about this circumstance, and and why in talking about prayer and a short leash, you know this should humble us before God. Because what I like to do is I think about what would have happened. You know, wouldn't you love to sit down with Moses after this and say, what would you have done differently?
You know. And I think what would have happened is, if Moses had had prayed in the moment, if he had kept prayer on a short leash, if you will, it would have helped him to count to ten instead of reacting in anger and sinning the way he did. Yeah, I absolutely love Bible stories like. And I think of certainly what if Adam had prayed in the moment, and there are several stories right along those lines. That here's the moment, and based on your regular go to, do you go to God?
Yeah, yeah, and that's just the thing. Here's the moment, because sometimes we know when those moments are, and we know what God would have us do, and what He would. Have us not do, and if in that moment we turn to Him, we're going to have mercy. You know, we're we're going to find mercy to help us in our time of need, and we we just we need to be encouraged to do that, reminded, because. We don't want to face the consequences of our actions that sometimes God may allow if we make the other choice, right?
Oh man, I mean, yeah, it's so harsh, right? That Moses, he, you know, I can't even imagine the the anguish that he went through to know that everybody was getting to go with him. I know. Oh, that just hurts, you know, when you think about it. But God knows what He's doing, and He's He's not being unfair, you know.
And you you have to think about how close Moses was to God, and you know these conversations with Him in in such a close and tender way. And and to us, this might not seem like that big a deal, but to someone who's as close to the Lord as Moses is, to you know, choose to go down this road in that moment. Again, this is why we need to call on the name of the Lord. Call on the name of the Lord. Just keep coming back to Him, and and He will meet us, and He will help us.
And we also have to remember that. Those the Lord loves, He also chastens, and if we're called, especially to a position of of leadership in His church, um, you know, we need to check ourselves before we wreck ourselves. That's well. This probably be a good time to pray. I think so.
On you, Lord. Lord, thank you for this understanding. Of of a short leash, Lord, help us to, you know, just in our normal day, go to you more frequently, that we might develop that trust and and that and that relationship to go to you in the moment when it's tough. And so, Lord, I thank you for this reminder, and I pray that you would help it to sink in that we would call on your name in those moments, and and bring it before you. Before we crash and burn, in Jesus' name I pray, Amen, Amen.
You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, JamesBanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray.
