Deuteronomy 8:17 He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’

Quite often there is a sympathy for the atheist who has no one to thank for good fortune. The great danger of atheism is to consider yourself the ultimate source of all good in your life, because at some point, and repeatedly, we all fail miserably. Despair for your own failure follows, or anger if you transfer the blame for the failure outside of yourself.

Followers of God are not exempt from this, either. We spend a lot of time taking God for granted, and taking credit when things are going well. I have a lot more in common with an atheist than he/she might realize.

Pray for an atheist or agnostic friend today.

Deuteronomy 8:5 Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.

When the Israelites experience hard times in the wilderness wanderings, it is ultimately for their own good. That which is challenging and brings pain, suffering, anxiety, and discomfort might be exactly what we need to grow and be built up in character.

Not always though. Much of the time our troubles are the result of our own sin or those who sin against us. Yet, God can make good out of that, too. There are no wasted moments to life on earth. Just opportunities to grow.

Pray for someone going through hard times today.

Num 17:8 The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the house of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.

In the passage for today, there was constant “bickering” among the Israelites about leadership. The miracle points to Aaron as head priest. Now, God does extraordinary things. On rare occasions he goes all out with the spectacularly miraculous, like changing a walking stick into a tree. However, similar to what I wrote yesterday, I don’t necessarily want to see huge miracles coming from God’s direction. Most often in the Bible, this happens if God’s community is in extreme conflict or crisis and he appears in a “wow” way to remind everyone who is in charge. I’ll take “normal” miracles, if you don’t mind.

Pray for God to show you his way today.

Num 7:89 When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony. And he spoke with him.

The cherubim are angels, and the statues to represent them symbolize the presence of God always being worshipped and glorifed by these heavenly beings. Angelic messengers are sent by God to speak when necessary. I don’t necessarily want to hear from them, however. In biblical history they often appear when there is crisis or when you are messing up!

Thank God for the heavenly hosts today.

Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

This is called the “Aaronic Blessing” (as in the blessing Aaron, priest and brother of Moses gives to the Israelites) and is used in both Jewish and Christian worship. Today, we talk of connecting with someone “face-to-face.” This metaphor for close communication is nowhere more true then when a lover of God meets his/her beloved. We ache for the Father’s approval, not always realizing we are approved already before we do a thing.

Pray for God to teach you how blessed you really are.

Leviticus 25:18 “Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety.”

Through Jesus, “the land” is where Christians dwell. It is not a “place” as much as a “presence.” Wherever they go, as they are disciples of Jesus, following his model and teachings, he goes with them. They become an influence for love, peace, justice, and holy living, wherever they find themselves. The Shekinah never stands still.

Pray for greater opportunities to shine for Jesus in the coming week.

Leviticus 16:2 The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.”

We see in the history of God’s people that there is a progression of revelation by God. To approach his awesome nature, one has to be specially chosen, like Moses, or to a lesser extent, his brother Aaron. Finally, through Jesus, God becomes approachable without any barriers. All along, there is a sense of having as much of God as we can stand.

Thank God for Jesus who gives us direct, no-holds-barred access to all of his glory.

Exodus 40:34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

God’s Shekinah fills their place of worship. When the Israelites come together to sing God’s praises, they needed no lamps. When we worship God, we use electricity for the lights, but we continue to pray for God to provide the Shekinah.

When you worship next, pray for God’s presence to fill the room in a tangible way.

Exodus 34:29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD.

When Moses spoke with God, the light and energy of God would enter Moses. This is called God’s Shekinah. The closest analogy I can give today would be Moses appears radioactive. This experience points to the one greater than Moses who is God himself. Jesus is transfigured before his followers and it’s way more than just his face (Matthew 17:1-6). How is Christ’s light shining through you today?

Pray for the light of Jesus to come and fill you.

Exodus 34:10 Then the LORD said: “I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you.”

When you step back and look at it from an unbiased, non-agenda point of view, it is astounding how much God accomplishes in human history among people who call upon him. One of the biggest wonders is how multicultural Christianity is compared to any other faith or philosophy of life. Examples:

secular: university educated affluent white Westerners
Islam: while not dominated by Arabs in total numbers, overwhelming dominated by Arab language and culture
Buddhism: overwhelmingly Asian
Hinduism: overwhelming Indian

God said, “Through you all nations of the world will be blessed.” He continues to be God of his Word.

Pray for Christians in Togo, Iran, and Uganda