Courtney Gilmore How important is God’s reputation to you? Have you ever even thought about it? When you pray, do you seek answers that will glorify the Lord or yourself? What about your conduct? Do your actions help or hurt God’s reputation?
When the people refused to enter the land God had prepared for them, He considered killing them all and starting over again with Moses. But, Moses prayed for mercy – not for their sake, but for the Lord’s.
“Then the Egyptians will hear it. For by Your might You brought these people up from among them, and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are among these people. That You, Lord, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them & You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day & in a pillar of fire by night. Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, ‘Because the Lord was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’ Now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, ‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression…’ Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”
Numbers 14:13-19
Moses made no excuses for the people. They continuously were rejecting the Lord and he knew God had the right to reject them in return. His plea for mercy was not about them at all. It was all about the work God had done for them & His reputation. These people were the ones that the Lord had rescued from Egypt to bring into the Promised Land. They were known by their God. All the nations knew the cloud that hovered over them meant that their God was with them.
Moses didn’t want the Egyptians to have any reason to say that God had any evil intentions or lack of power. So, he prayed in accordance with God’s promises & His character. He understood that wrath & punishment were justified. But he’d also seen God’s patience, forgiveness, & steady love from the beginning. So, he asked the Lord to continue exhibiting those characteristics towards His people.
The people had been a terrible burden to him. It would have probably been easier for Moses to encourage God to wipe them all out. But he cared more about God’s reputation than his own comfort. His prayer was completely selfless and it relied on the knowledge He had of the Lord.
God wants us to pray according to His promises & character, too. These types of prayers show Him that we believe in His power and trust His faithfulness & goodness towards us. But in order to do that, we need to know what He says & who He is.
With my whole heart I have sought You… Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:10 & 105
Also, if we call ourselves Christians (Christ-followers) then we too are known by His name. What we portray of Him to the world is what non-believers know of Him. So, do others see Him in you? Do they know the Lord better because they know you or do they have a distorted view of who He is because of how you depict Him?
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:17
If we want to reflect God to others, then we need to know Him. So, study how Jesus acted, learn the Lord’s ways, & know what He teaches, so that you can live like Him.
Be imitators of God as dear children. Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us
Ephesians 5:1-2
We will obviously never be perfect reflections of our Holy, Righteous, and Just God. But one of our greatest purposes as Christians is to present Him to the world in a way that honors and glorifies Him. We want our words and action to draw others to Him and definitely not push them away from Him. So, seek to know His word & pray according to His character & works. Then tell others what He’s done for you & how He’s worked in your life, so they can learn to trust in Him too.
If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.
1 Peter 4:11
Excerpt from Episode 89 “Reflecting God to the World” on Podcast and YouTube
