December 12, 2009 (Deuteronomy 9-13)

Today I read a convicting passage on not only the power of prayer, but the sacrifice needed to unleash that power. Moses had a heart for his people and was willing to go to extreme measures to stay God's hand of destruction:

^{Deuteronomy 9:18} “Then, as before, I threw myself down before the Lord for forty days and nights. I ate no bread and drank no water because of the great sin you had committed by doing what the Lord hated, provoking him to anger. ¹⁹ I feared that the furious anger of the Lord, which turned him against you, would drive him to destroy you. But again he listened to me. ²⁰ The Lord was so angry with Aaron that he wanted to destroy him, too. But I prayed for Aaron, and the Lord spared him.

Am I willing to truly fast and pray to see God's hand at work? Very convicting and motivating passage for me.

Moses again reiterated what God required of them. (I've taken some editing liberties with these verses):

^{Deuteronomy 10:12} “And now, Sandy, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. ¹³ And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.

¹⁴ “Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God. ¹⁵ Yet the Lord chose you as the object of his love. ¹⁶ Therefore, change your heart and stop being stubborn.

¹⁷ “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. ²⁰ You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him. ²¹ He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes.

As I read this next section, Moses did a "replay" for them of all the miracles they had witnessed; the parting of the Red Sea, water from rocks, manna from heaven, etc. I thought, humm, I want to replay all God has done for me. So I have inserted "my miracles" in place of the ones Moses used.

Deuteronomy 11:1 “You must love the Lord your God and obey all his requirements, decrees, regulations, and commands. ² Keep in mind that I am not talking now to your children, who have never experienced the discipline of the Lord your God or seen his greatness and his strong hand and powerful arm. ³ They didn’t see how God spoke to you through His word, when you had rebelled against Him and gone your own way; how He confirmed to you that "He had devised a way so that a banished person would not remain estranged from Him." ⁴ They didn’t see how God blessed your desire for a mate by providing just the right person at just the right time.

⁵ “Your children didn’t see how the Lord cared for you when you were past the child bearing years by providing a son for you. ⁶ They didn’t see how He brought you back to the area that you loved and provided a home for you. They didn't see how He healed your hand that should have been broken. They didn't see how He kept a dog safe in the Bay area after escaping from a kennel. ⁷ But you have seen the Lord perform all these mighty deeds with your own eyes!

These are just a few of the many miracles God has performed for me to see, not the least of which was the first miracle: saving my sin ridden soul and changing my life.

And then these last two passages, telling us to "cling" to Him. (Above, verse 10:20 also told us to "cling to him").

^{Deuteronomy 11:22} “Be careful to obey all the commands I give you; show love to the Lord your God by walking in his ways and clinging to him."

Deuteronomy 13:2 If they then say, ‘Come, let us worship other gods’—gods you have not known before—³ do not listen to them. The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul. ⁴ Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him.

It reminded me of Leroy Benson, the sea monkey that is the newest member of our family.

(Sorry if you missed the birth announcement). He was born on a filing cabinet in Iraq and was adopted by the famed "Poppy", who snatched him from a life of uncertainty to be loved by us. But due to an unfortunate circumstance in which his aquarium toppled to the floor, we thought he had died. But alas, he was found, "clinging" to the side of his aquarium, and so his life was saved! (At least for now). And so, may we be found, "clinging" to our Lord.