God Still Gets The Glory

Deuteronomy 9

You stiffnecked people... You turned away from God...  You did not follow Him... You really got under His skin...  He was about to destroy you all... Many times, I saved you by interceding with God for you.  The jist I'm getting from this chapter is that Moses is ranting or bragging about how much he had to put up with and do for the people.  He had to keep going back to God to beg for mercy for them and ya'll know how dangerous that can be. 

Yesterday, I wrote about how God, not any man, gets the glory and I'm afraid it sounds a little like Moses is grabbing at a bit of glory today.  I stand by yesterday's statements.  Moses may have prayed for the people, but God didn't have to give the Israelites the promised land.  He could have destroyed them at any point.  God gets the glory for leading the people out of Egypt and into the promised land.  God is about to lead them into the land of the great and mighty Anakims so that they might take possession of it.  But, He's not doing it because they are so good.  He's doing it because He chooses to.  And, yes, it is probably a good thing that Moses was there to intercede for them when God was about to destroy the people.

When we pray for someone and the prayer is answered, do we get the credit?  Do we get the glory?  I hope not!  I have had names of some people on my prayer list for decades.  Some of those prayers have been answered in big ways.  And I will tell you, everytime I see them, I am thanking God in a big way!  Others, I still pray for and I know that when I see, with my own eyes, the answer to those prayers, I will be celebrating with all the hosts of heaven for the ones who were lost, but now found.  I will most definitely be giving thanks and glory to God! 

St. Paul wrote in various letters asking the people to pray for him.  He asked them to intercede for him and for all the Lord's people. In Ephesians 6:18-20, we read: 

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."  

 We are called and directed to pray for one another.  Yet, Paul tells us to pray in the Spirit.  And in Romans 8:26-30 (read all of Romans 8 - it is awesome!):

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.  And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

So from all this I glean, that it is not we who interecede (it is not our good work), but, God, the Holy Spirit, who intercedes through us and it is God, Himself, who answers the prayers.  God gets the glory (even for glorifying those whom He calls)! 

Lot's going through my head with this lesson this morning - but - it is a blog - not suppose to be a sermon :)  And... for those of you who noticed (and I know at least a couple of you have) both Deuteronomy 9 and Romans 8 would be good places to start a conversation regarding predestination.  But, I think maybe we should wait 'till we get to Romans for that...