S) "23 I also pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, 24 'O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours? 25 Let me, I pray, cross over and see the fair land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.' 26 But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me; and the Lord said to me, 'Enough! Speak to Me no more of this matter.'"
Deuteronomy 3:23-26 (NASB)
O) There are several examples, throughout the Bible, of righteous men and women pleading with God. There are some of those encounters that even boarder on straight argument. In pretty much all of those cases, though, the pleading is answered with favor. This is a rare example, though, when the request is rejected. Clearly, God does not grant every request, but it seems like the Bible is mostly full of answered prayers. So, when I read this passage, I was a little surprised. I guess I never realized that Moses made such a request, trying to get into the Promised Land, after his sin. The only other example that comes to mind today, is Paul's request in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9. There is a certain amount of comfort in knowing that two of the most godly, important men in the entire Bible, had prayers that God denied.
(It's also worth noting that God specifically tells Moses not to ask again)
A) It's a tough thing to balance faith with humility, sometimes. We have to make our requests without doubt, but we have to accept that God can still say no. The most important thing for me to keep in mind, is that God is sovereign, omniscient, and good; whatever His answer, it is justified and blesses me. So, the most important thing for me to do, is to react properly. In this instance, Moses is granted to see, with his eyes, the Promised Land from the top of Pisgah, and then he is charged with getting Joshua ready to succeed. Maybe God will grant me some shade of my request, but however it comes out, I need to pick myself up and do what He commands after my request is heard.
P) Father, in all of my requests, let me approach You in humility. Let me acknowledge Your holiness. Above all else, let me accept Your answers. Open my eyes to see and my ears to hear, so I can clearly and correctly know Your responses. Let me see Your answers in Your Word, or hear them in prayer, or receive them from other righteous men and women in my life. Beyond that, let me act in obedience to Your words, God. I want to be completely given over to Your will in my life. I choose now, to accept the decisions You make for me, because I know You are a good God. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
(It's also worth noting that God specifically tells Moses not to ask again)
A) It's a tough thing to balance faith with humility, sometimes. We have to make our requests without doubt, but we have to accept that God can still say no. The most important thing for me to keep in mind, is that God is sovereign, omniscient, and good; whatever His answer, it is justified and blesses me. So, the most important thing for me to do, is to react properly. In this instance, Moses is granted to see, with his eyes, the Promised Land from the top of Pisgah, and then he is charged with getting Joshua ready to succeed. Maybe God will grant me some shade of my request, but however it comes out, I need to pick myself up and do what He commands after my request is heard.
P) Father, in all of my requests, let me approach You in humility. Let me acknowledge Your holiness. Above all else, let me accept Your answers. Open my eyes to see and my ears to hear, so I can clearly and correctly know Your responses. Let me see Your answers in Your Word, or hear them in prayer, or receive them from other righteous men and women in my life. Beyond that, let me act in obedience to Your words, God. I want to be completely given over to Your will in my life. I choose now, to accept the decisions You make for me, because I know You are a good God. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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