A Superior Strategy

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And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name” (Exodus 33:17).

God, knowing I would be going into a potentially challenging situation, recently moved a close friend of mine to pray for me. My friend, coming off a similar situation, also knew it would be challenging. Since she loves me, and has an intercessor’s big heart, she wasted no time and started praying.  

Looking back, I know that when God tugged on my friend’s heart, he was up to even more than getting me prayed for.  

I did face a challenging situation. In the thick of it, I was aware that the impact it was having on me—and has had on me since—was miraculously different from my usual way of responding to such intensity. I was peaceful. I could speak up. I could trust God.

That was gift enough. But that personal experience of being impacted by my friend’s prayer has come with a bonus. It has reawakened my grown-sleepy impulse to intercede on behalf of others. 

When we pray but don’t see the results we want, or don’t see them fast enough, or things seem to get worse instead of better, our inclination is to give up. Speaking from experience, this is not a helpful strategy.

A superior strategy is to do what Moses did, “…take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the ‘tent of meeting’ “(Exodus 33:7).

I have a prayer shawl which, when I put it over my head, serves just fine as a “tent.” There is something about a closed-in space that serves as a good place to meet with God. It also gives a sense of being “outside the camp” with fewer distractions. An actual tent or prayer shawl is not a requirement, of course.  Anywhere, at any time, we can talk with God.  

In Exodus 33:11-17, we get to eavesdrop on the prayer-conversation Moses had with God in that tent of meeting. Moses was making “You said…” observations and then asking direct, weighing-on-his-mind questions. God was replying with direct, affirming responses. (See our verse above.) 

As the impulse to intercede reawakens within, I want to remember their conversation. For instance, I want to remember that Moses spoke his mind—apparently with no worries that the Lord would shut him down. That means we, too, can drop attempts to sound “spiritual” and just be direct with God. 

Have you experienced the impact of another’s prayer for you? Even if we don’t know we are being prayed for, we likely are if we respond to a situation in a refreshingly better way than usual.

As God moves you to pray for another, consider how Moses’ conversation with God gives you a superior strategy for doing so. Then remember to include “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

3 Comments

Thank you Lana, for a beautiful and timely reminder. Praying for you.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Linda! And also for sharing the situation with your son and daughter-in-law. Kathy and I will be praying with and for them all, and for you.
Lana's July 7 devotional really touched me. I have wonderful friends and prayer partners who pray for me when I ask and sometimes even when I don't. I've learned God is always there for me. And I am also grateful for those who also go to God for me. It gives me peace when going through difficult times.
Today I am asking for prayers for my son and daughter-in-law who are expecting their first child, The baby is due in September but my daughter-in-law is currently in the hospital with pre-eclampsia. She will most likely need to deliver within days. God be with this new family and keep them safe.

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