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November 2016

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“A Sight to Behold: Seeing God’s Timing” by Rev. Cody Sandahl – November 27, 2016

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"A Sight to Behold: Seeing God's Timing" by Rev. Cody Sandahl - November 27, 2016
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Introduction

Unlike most of the stores around us, we waited until after Thanksgiving to start getting ready for Christmas. This is the first of four Sundays in Advent, where we prepare for the coming of the Messiah. And this week we are listening in as Jesus indulges in some insider trading. He’s sharing some secrets with his disciples. There are five major sermons from Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew – the Sermon on the Mount is the most famous – but this is the last one.

And today we hear as Jesus tells his disciples about “that day.” Jesus is getting his followers ready for two things, though they didn’t know this at the time. First, he was preparing them for the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 AD – the whole first half of this chapter talks about that. And then he’s getting them ready for his return – something that still hasn’t happened yet. So our text today is Jesus’ response when his followers ask him, “when will all of this take place?” Jesus, when are you going to take over? Jesus, when will every tear be wiped from our eyes? Jesus, when will those who mock us today be held to account? Jesus, when?!?

Matthew 24:36-44

36“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 42Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.44Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

Smarter Than Jesus

Well you know I like math, and I did some counting. Looking at Wikipedia, I counted 51 different predictions of when Jesus would return, ranging from the year 500 at the earliest to the year 2057 at the latest. And other than the four dates that are still in the future, you know what they all have in common? They were wrong.

There are some interesting observations looking at this list. There are some really smart people on it – did you know that the great physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton predicted that Jesus would come again in the year 2000? Unlike the other people on the list, he was at least smart enough to pick a date well after his own death so no one could ask him about it later. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, took a shot at a date. One of the popes tried his hand at it.

But the cream of the crop are the three guys who had enough chutzpa to try predicting a NEW date after their first guess failed. If you’re wondering, Herbert Armstrong takes the prize with four separate guesses.

Another interesting observation – out of the 51 predictions, how many do you think were made by a woman? One. Joanna Southcott was a 64-year-old who claimed to be pregnant with the Christ child, and that he would be born on Christmas Day, 1814. Now Joanna gets a little kudos because, while she didn’t predict the day of Jesus’ second coming, she did predict the day of her own death. An autopsy confirmed she was not, in fact, pregnant.

Most of these guesses were made by very smart people who cared about Jesus deeply and knew their Bible backwards and forwards. But I think they missed the forest for all the trees. When Isaac Newton was getting lost in the prophecies of Daniel, I think he missed our text today – “about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” If Jesus didn’t know it, I’m pretty sure Isaac Newton couldn’t figure it out. Nor the early Christian theologians. Nor the pope. Nor anyone else past, present, or future. We won’t know. It’s impossible. Full stop. End of story. Put down your numerology books and calculators – it’s a waste of time.

Surprising God

In fact, I think we can safely say that “surprising” is one of God’s character traits. In the class I just taught about Understanding the Bible, we talked about God’s story as a 6 act play. Creation, The Fall, Israel, Jesus, Church, and Final Redemption (which is what Jesus is talking about here). And out of all of those movements in the story, the only predictable one is The Fall – it’s not surprising that humans messed up the Garden of Eden.

But who could have seen God choosing a nomad to eventually become a nation and a chosen people? And even though there were all these prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, no one was looking for a Messiah like Jesus. He wasn’t what they expected. And when Jesus died and rose again and sent the Holy Spirit to empower the early church, no one saw that coming, either. God isn’t supposed to die! And after coming back from the grave, Jesus isn’t supposed to disappear and leave it to us to carry on his instructions – just take it over yourself, Jesus! That was surprising. Whatever comes next, it’s going to be surprising. Sure, we have prophecies in Daniel and Revelation that talk about it, but I’ve got $1000 that says it’ll be totally unexpected and surprising. On the plus side, even if I’m wrong and it’s totally expected, that $1000 won’t matter anymore, so I’m pretty safe with that bet.

I don’t know about you, but I find God to be surprising pretty much every day, not just in the distant past and unforeseeable future.

This year I think we saw a fantastic example of that with Candace Payne. Also known as “Chewbacca Mom.” For those of you who don’t know, Candace went to a store and bought a gift for herself – a mask featuring the Star Wars character Chewbacca on it. And she made a live video of herself trying on the mask. But there was a surprise. She didn’t know that it made the growling Chewbacca voice (CODY’S RENDITION) whenever you moved your own mouth. And it cracked her up. She laughed. She hollered. She cackled. And that was the whole video. Four minutes and five seconds of a random mom dying laughing in a Chewbacca mask. That’s it. Millions upon millions upon millions of people watched it, shared it, watched it again.

Some wrote to Candace letting her know that they were struggling with depression and her sheer joy helped them keep going. Some were glad to have a diversion from the negative news around them. It became so popular that the toy company that made the mask invited her to their headquarters, where they presented her with an action figure – of herself! Complete with removable Chewbacca mask.

So God was able to use a Chewbacca mask to drastically change Candace’s life. And her joy helped others find joy when they were hopeless. Laughter when all they wanted to do was cry. That, sisters and brothers, is surprising! When she was asked how she handled all this surprising fame and impact, she simply said, “I let Jesus take the wheel.”

God is very surprising. Sometimes confounding, even. But I find that to be a bedrock of hopefulness. Because if God is surprising, if I can’t predict how God is going to move, if I can’t fathom what God is going to do, then anything is possible. If God can use a Chewbacca mask to bring joy to 140 million people, what can he do in my life? If God can come down to live with us as a baby, born in a manger, in a random backwater village, what can he do in my life?

Jesus reminds us in our text today that no one knew when Noah’s flood would occur – he talked about it for 120 years before it happened. No one knew when the Messiah would be born. No one knows when the final chapter of God’s story will begin. Our text says that life will be going on like normal – two will be in a field, one will be taken. Two women will be working together to make bread – one will be taken. The other one gets extra bread as consolation. No one knows when God is going to do something. And no one can predict what God will do. God is surprising in his actions and surprising in his timing.

But that can make you anxious, because you don’t have control. Or it can give you hope, because even if you can’t imagine a way out of the hole you’re in, God can do surprising things at surprising times. If you are feeling hopeless and helpless, just remember: God can even use a Chewbacca mask. He can show up for you, too.

Summary

Sisters and brothers, there is always hope. Because God is surprising. God is unfathomable. We can’t imagine all the possibilities that exist for God. Which apparently include a Chewbacca mask. There is always hope.

We were talking in staff meeting this week about God being our “keeper,” and I shared that I knew God was my “keeper” because I have always been able to see examples of God’s grace regardless of my present circumstances. Trust me, I know what it’s like to pray and pray and pray and still suffer. But even then I can see God’s grace. Being in the right place at the right time to prevent a nasty fall. Having the prayers and support of so many people. God’s grace is there – my biggest prayers may not be getting the answers I want, but I haven’t been abandoned by my “keeper.” So there is hope for surprising action at a surprising time.

Where do you need to hold on to hope? Where do you need to remember that God’s imagination is far greater and more diverse than yours? Where do you need to notice the grace that is present rather than the answer you’re not getting in prayer?

There is always hope.  And there is always evidence of God’s grace. Not just “on that day.” Today. Thanks be to God. Amen.

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“Exodus: A Repentant People” by Rev. Cody Sandahl – November 13, 2016

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Introduction

This is our final week in Exodus. Last week we heard about the role of prayer in our lives since it feeds the lion and starves the dragon. Next week Dave Blackburn will be preaching, and then we’ll be in Advent.

This week we see the Israelites at their low point. And we see how God and Moses respond.

Exodus 32:1-14, 19-20

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.” 6They rose early the next day, and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.

7The Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; 8they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt! 9The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. 10Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.” 11But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. 13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’“ 14And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

19As soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.

Keep Your Eye on the Ball

Well it was my time to shine. My freshman year flag football team was on the move. We had lost almost all our games, but this one was within reach. All we needed was one big play to take the W. And so they went to me. It was a trick play, designed to confuse the opponent and leave me wide open. And it worked. In fact, it worked so well there wasn’t anyone within twenty yards of me when I turned around and saw the quarterback loft the pass in my direction. The ball arced toward my outstretched arms. But then something funny happened. You see, this was a night game. So there were these brilliant white lights everywhere, one of which was shining right into my eyeballs. So after the ball left the quarterback’s hand, I had absolutely no clue where it went. I guessed how long it might take to reach me and flailed my arms about, desperate. I actually hit the ball, but it was with my foot. Incomplete. Game over. Another loss. They dialed up my number and I couldn’t deliver. All because I couldn’t see the ball. It also wasn’t lost on my freshman social consciousness that to anyone watching me, it looked like a wide open guy spazzing out instead of catching an easy pass.

The Israelites in our text today…all they have to do is wait for a little while as Moses receives the Law from God. All they have to do is remember what God did in Egypt. Remember how God has been personally leading them. Remember how God gave them manna and miraculous water. Just remember one of the many mind-bending miracles performed by God over the last few months. Just hold that in mind for a few days while Moses talks to God one-on-one. They are wide open. There isn’t a defender within twenty yards of them. It’s an easy pass-and-catch. But like me, they took their eyes off the ball, they spazzed out, and they dropped the ball.

Have you ever forgotten the most important things in life? Have you ever forgotten who you are? Ever done something you regret? Ever done something wrong because you couldn’t stand waiting around any longer?

It’s really fascinating to see what happens to the Israelites after this. I skipped over a lot of parts of the story, but there are definitely some consequences. 3000 of the leaders were killed. A plague struck the people. They apparently had to drink water with flakes of the charred remains of the bull inside it – maybe that’s where Red Bull came from.

But it’s even more fascinating to see what DOESN’T happen. Aaron squirms out of his responsibility. He says that he just threw some gold in the fire and a bull came out, but that lacks a bit of truthiness. And God lets him remain as the High Priest. As a side note, you can write this down. If I lead this congregation in a ceremony worshiping a golden bull, you can fire me. Although the gold might help the budget, so there’s that.

You know what else DOESN’T happen? God doesn’t abandon them. God doesn’t zap them. God doesn’t smite them. He doesn’t squash them like the bugs that they are.

So if you have ever done something you regret, done something wrong, done something that doesn’t square with who you are and what you believe…God doesn’t squash you either. God doesn’t zap you. God doesn’t smite you.

There are consequences…but God doesn’t grind you into dust. God doesn’t leave you.

Drawn Back to God

In fact, God can even use our worst decisions to draw us back to him. For instance, do you know the story of General Butt Naked? Actually named Joshua, he earned the nickname by going into battle wearing nothing but shoes. In a brutal war in Liberia, he was known as one of the most brutal. When he was asked to estimate how many people he murdered, his best guess was 20,000. He was a king of child soldiers, responsible for turning them into heartless killers. But one day he heard a line from the bible. He said, “I was told that I should tell the truth, and the truth will set me free.” And after that, he sought out a bishop who told him, “All I wanted to tell you is that Jesus loves you, and that he has a better plan for your life.”

Since that day, instead of corrupting child soldiers he started a mission for helping them recover. He visits the families of his victims to try to help them. He became a priest. The bishop who helped him find Jesus later explained, “God has the power to change anyone…even General Butt Naked.”

If one of the most notorious war criminals on the planet can find redemption in Christ, your worst decisions are eligible for redemption in Christ as well. The lie you’ve told or planning to tell. The person you took advantage of. The secret you’re hiding. Whatever it is, it’s not too far for God. And it is those darkest times in our lives, our worst decisions, that are also opportunities to return to Christ. For the truth doesn’t condemn you with God. The truth sets you free.

Reshaping the Sculpture

But why? Why does God offer a way back even for General Butt Naked? Why does God offer a way back despite all of our worst decisions? Why does God offer a way back to these stiff-necked, impatient Israelites?

Well in our first text today we heard the answer. The prophet Jeremiah is sent by God to a potter’s house to watch him make things out of clay. And the container he’s spinning falls apart. It “spoils” the text says. I like that word “spoils,” because it reminds me of fruit rotting. Kind of like what happens to our souls when we hold onto those secrets and those bad decisions.

But, as Jeremiah watched, text says, “he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.” And God says he can do the same thing with the Israelites. He can do the same thing with us. We may do things that spoil, that cause our lives to collapse. But God can rework it into something else – something good. The great sculptor Michaelangelo once said, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” That’s what God is doing. He sees past the outer level – he sees the sculpture inside you. God sees past the messy clay exterior. He sees the useful and beautiful vessel inside.

That means you aren’t a cheap toaster that gets thrown out when it breaks. You aren’t an old TV that gets tossed so God can upgrade to a flatscreen. You are the family heirloom. You are worth reworking. Repairing. Recovering. Redeeming. You are worth it. Even General Butt Naked is worth it.

Repenting

So what kind of sculpture is inside you, and how can you let it show? There are two basic ways to do that. First you can ask God to chip away at some of the rock that’s standing in the way of your sculpture. What needs to change inside yourself? That’s one way to reveal what God sees inside.

And the other way is outside yourself. In our text today God and Moses both get angry at what’s going on with the Israelites. And that motivates them to do something about it. Another way to let your sculpture show is to see what’s happening around you and do something to make it better.

So does God want to chip away at some unsightly parts of your life right now? Or does God want to deploy you to make something better?

Summary

The biggest point today isn’t how badly we need to change. The biggest point is that God sees something amazing inside of us and is willing to stick with us as long as it takes for that to show through. That’s what he did with the Israelites, that’s what he did with General Butt Naked, and that’s what he does with us, too.

You aren’t an obsolete device, ready to be thrown away. You are a magnificent sculpture in the process of being revealed by the Master Sculptor. Thanks be to God. Amen.

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“Exodus: A Praying People” by Rev. Cody Sandahl – November 6, 2016

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Introduction

We are still looking at how God shaped the Israelites in the book of Exodus and how God shapes us today. Last week we saw the Israelites finally get something right when they showed generosity to help build the traveling Sanctuary. We heard how the heart is intertwined with generosity – whether that’s with gold and silver or sewing and construction abilities. This week we are catching the Israelites after they – once again – did something wrong, so God starts calling them by a new nickname: the stiff-necked people.

Exodus 33:1-3, 12-23

The Lord said to Moses, “Go, leave this place, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, and go to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ 2I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 3Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, or I would consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”

12Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have said to me, ‘Bring up this people’; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ 13Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” 14He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. 16For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.” 17The Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.” 19And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” 21And the Lord continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; 22and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; 23then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”

Abandoned?

If you watched the sermon teaser video this week, you already heard this story. But when I was in elementary school my family was out very late, so when my parents pulled into the garage everyone just kind of stumbled out of the car and found their beds as quickly as possible. Everyone, that is, except for me. Unbeknownst to my family, I had actually nodded off in the car, so I was still in the garage. At some point in the night I startled awake, drenched in darkness all around me. I did my best impersonation of the three blind mice as I fumbled for the door, only to discover that the door was locked. I couldn’t get inside.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been in darkness so thick you can’t even see your fingers, but it is a very unsettling experience – especially for an imaginative kid who reads too much science fiction. My mind was imagining all kinds of aliens, monsters, or maybe just some terrestrial spiders slowly descending upon my head in the dark. So I alternated between beating on the door with all my might, shouting at the top of my lungs “I’m in the garage! I’m in the garage!” and kicking my legs forcefully into the darkness just in case some of those imagined creatures weren’t imaginary. It seemed like seven eternities before someone finally heard me – the bedrooms were pretty far away from the garage in that house, but eventually my parents came to get me.

Have you ever felt abandoned? Have you ever felt alone in the dark with no one to hear you? Have you ever felt like that with God?

The Israelites in our text today are feeling abandoned by God, and it’s because they deserve to be abandoned. We’ll hear about what they DID next week, but suffice it to say that it was the absolute low point in their relationship with God. In several books’ worth of transgressions, this might’ve been the worst. So God is a mite displeased with them, hence their new nickname.

And that’s when I think it hits them – they’re wandering in the desert. The only direction they have is God’s physical presence via the pillar of cloud and fire. God is all they really have to go on, and they’re afraid they just blew it forever. They’re afraid they’re going to be abandoned. And they know they deserve it.

Ever felt that way?

The Promised Land

But did you notice God’s response? Right at the start, “The Lord said to Moses, “Go, leave this place, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, and go to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” God was still giving them the Promised Land. In fact, God said he would still drive out the Canaanites for them. They’re still going to get the land flowing with milk and honey.

God’s promise remains. God’s word is eternal. God’s trustworthiness is assured. Even when you feel like you’ve been abandoned. Even when you feel like you’re alone in the dark. Even when you feel like you deserve it.

In our first text today, what’s the last thing Jesus tells his disciples? The very last words of the Gospel of Matthew? “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Just as God had given the Israelites the task of taking the Promised Land, so too Jesus gives us the task of making disciples, baptizing, teaching, obeying. And just as the Israelites doubted, so too Jesus’ disciples and we doubt. Just as the Israelites needed to know that God would stay with them, Jesus’ disciples and we need to know that Jesus is still with us. And so he signs off with “remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

God had to tell the Israelites: “remember, I promised.” Jesus had to tell his disciples: “remember, I’m with you.” Apparently we have a hard time remembering. The antidote to our fear is to remember. The antidote to our sense of abandonment is to remember God’s promise and Jesus’ presence. Our problem isn’t that God has left us – it’s that we IMAGINE that God might leave us.

The imagination is powerful – it’s what dreams are made of. But it’s also what nightmares are made of. When I was in that garage suffocating in the impenetrable darkness, my mind knew that it was fairly unlikely that alien entities had been living in the ceiling of the garage, waiting for a moment to attack me. But my imagination was more powerful than my memory.

Has your imagination ever been more powerful than your memory? More powerful than your reason?

Have you ever told a lie because you could only imagine terrible consequences for telling the truth?

Have you ever despaired because you couldn’t imagine anyone putting up with you anymore?

Have you ever lashed out because you couldn’t imagine the other person deserving grace?

The imagination is a big problem with online bullying, especially with teenage girls. Someone finds out a scandalous secret or a revealing photograph – some tabloid material. And then that gets used – show us more or we’ll share that photo, tell us more or we’ll share your secret. Of course, that just means they have more ammunition, more power, more control. When you can only imagine the bad things, when you can’t remember the hope, you’re in a dangerous place. The decisions we make out of fear today often make tomorrow worse.

And so God says, “Remember, I promised.” Jesus says, “Remember, I am with you.”

The Lion and the Dragon

SO which direction is your imagination going right now? Are you imagining the fictitious aliens waiting to pounce on you in the dark garage? Are you imagining reasons to be afraid? Or are you remembering God’s promises? Are you remembering Jesus’ presence? Are you imagining reasons to have hope?

Hollywood pictures this by putting an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. But I like the imagery in the book of Revelation better. In Revelation two creatures are in opposition – the Lion of Judah on one side and the Dragon on the other. And spoiler alert – the Lion wins.

But I love those images. A lion is associated with what? Courage, right? Facing things head-on, not running away. And what about a dragon? A dragon is associated with fear. Hide from the fire or it’ll burn you up.

When our imaginations are running wild, when we’re seeing monsters in the dark, when we feel like we have no choice because of the consequences, when we feel alone and abandoned and afraid – that’s when we’re feeding the dragon. Nothing good comes from feeding the dragon. It’s almost as bad as feeding the pigeons – they’ll never leave and your house will be covered in unpleasantness.

But when our imaginations remember that God is still with us, when we remember our hope, when we remember our strength and resolve because Jesus is with us – that’s when we’re feeding the lion. Good things come from feeding the lion.

It’s not always easy to feed the lion. You still might have to face the music, face the consequences. But it’s better to face the consequences with the lion than trying to avoid the consequences by making a deal with the dragon. The dragon is never satisfied, never full. Remember what Lando Calrissian said after making a deal with Darth Vader – “This deal is getting worse all the time!”

And I think that’s why prayer is so powerful. Prayer feeds the lion and starves the dragon. Even if we are afraid in our prayer, even if we are angry in our prayer, prayer feeds the lion and starves the dragon. In our text today Moses prays for assurance and direction. God says in v14 “my presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” But Moses still isn’t sure, his lion needs a little more food. So he prays again, and God replies in v17, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” But Moses STILL isn’t sure, his lion needs a three course meal. So he prays again. And God response in v19, “I will make all my goodness pass before you.”

Finally, Moses is ready. Shortly after this they have a ceremony to rededicate the Israelites to the Covenant. They publicly proclaim that they are following where God leads. The lion beat the dragon again.

But the great thing about prayer is that we don’t have to wait until we feel strong and powerful and ready to roar like a lion. Prayer is what gives us the strength when we’re feeling weak. Prayer is what gives us the way forward when we can only imagine being trapped. Prayer is what gives us the voice when we’re afraid to speak.

Summary

So where do you need to feed the lion and starve the dragon? Where do you need strength because you feel weak? Where do you need a way forward because you feel trapped? Where do you need a voice because you’re afraid to speak? Prayer feeds the lion and starves the dragon. Prayer helps us remember that God has promised. Prayer helps us remember that Jesus is with us, even to the end of the age.

How will you feed the lion and starve the dragon this week? How will you pray? Amen.