Speaking to a Friend
Thus the lord used to speak to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend. (Exodus 33:11)
Ex. 33:9-17; Num. 12; Isa. 41:8-10; II Chr. 20:7; James 2:23
What Is God Saying?
God specially spoke to Moses as someone speaks to a friend. ‘The Lord used to speak’ suggests that it could have happened many times. Moses was unique in God's plan for His people, and Moses, a man of constant prayer, must have often listened for the Lord's voice to give him directions in carrying out his singular responsibility. Using the word friend, the verse speaks of the possible between God and man.
In Jeremiah 3:19, it is the relationship of Father to children. In II Chron. 20:7 and Isa. 41:9, it is the relationship of Friend with friend. In Psalm 123:2, it is the relationship of the Master to the servant. God, in Christ, is very approachable. Jesus taught us to think of and address God as Father. As our Heavenly Father, we should listen to Him and talk with Him.
How Does This Apply To Us?
We must not bring the total otherness of God down to the level of a pal in the sky. If we want to distort reality and miss the message of God, we have only to bring Him down to our level and down to our size. That's like making God in our image. If ever there was a blind alley, that is it. God wants us to be as children to an infinitely loving Father. Jesus came to show that He is just that, and to get hold of that fact is life-transforming.
There is also that awesome Otherness, total Transcendency, and incomparable Majesty. Lose that, and all communication breaks down (Isa. 55:8-9). Still, our relationship with God has other aspects. He wants to communicate with us as a Friend would communicate with a friend. Abraham is called ‘the Friend of God.’ Let us assume that God wants that kind of communication with us. The purpose of our prayer today is to explore those areas of friendship with God that can make our daily lives rich with meaning and steadfast in purpose.
Pray With Me
Cleanse me, O God, in heart and desire, in hand and deed, in mind and thought, until, with every barrier down, You can talk to me ‘as a man speaks to his friend.’ We speak to a friend, trusting they will understand. We talk to a friend, trusting them with our dearest plans and highest hopes. I would dedicate myself to the yearnings and burdens of Your heart for humanity. I would have a mind to grasp Your will and an obedient heart.
Then I shall see Your face,' and seeing Your face, I shall see Your smile, the smile of a Father forgiving, a Master approving, and a Friend that will never forsake.
Through Him, who having not seen, yet I love. Amen
Moving On in the Life of Prayer
Without assuming we can come to Him with easy familiarity, we may come to the Lord freely and spontaneously. Let us hear what He says in His Word and then resolve that our lives will be adjusted to His purpose. Prayer becomes far more than a way of persuading God to change His mind. It becomes God's way of persuading us to change our lives. Try it. You'll like it!
