“… and the LORD said to me, ‘Enough! Speak to Me no more of this matter.” Deuteronomy 3:26
After Moses was told by the Lord that he would not be crossing over into the promise land due to his behavior at the waters of Meribah, he continued to push God. Have you ever requested something from your mom or dad, and they said no, but you persisted to ask? This is what was Moses was doing with God. He knew the mind of the Lord but kept pushing. In this case, God was direct in telling Moses not to bring it up again. There are times God lets us know His mind when we come to Him (Hebrews 4:12) and if we continue to push, God may give in and acquiesce to you like a parent saying to a child, ‘Fine, go ahead then’. He did this with Balaam when Balaam kept pushing his self-centered motives on God. God is reasonable, He loves you, and will defer to you sometimes but that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. Every answer from God is not always a command, a no or yes. Sometimes your query starts a conversation whereby God wants to show you ‘His Best Way’.
Have you ever entered prayer for guidance but already made up your mind? God can tell when you ask Him in prayer for something you’ve already made up your mind to do. The Apostle Paul spoke in Romans 12:3 about the ‘Three Wills of God’, the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God. There is the ok or acceptable will of God, the good, and God’s best known as the perfect will of God. As a young man, I once dated a girl I knew was not right for me. Have you ever been in a relationship where you were in love, trapped by your emotions and couldn’t break free? After repeatedly asking God for permission to marry her (I wanted my conscience to be cleared), on one occasion He said to me after many asks, ‘Go ahead, but do not bring this to me again.’ It was then I knew I had crossed the line one too many times. In my relationship with God, I had pushed Him and troubled Him to exhaustion with something I already knew the answer to. Every parent knows this point with their child, and I had burdened God with my sin. I eventually left that relationship and pursued God’s best for me.
REFLECT TO CONNECT:
- In what ways have you pushed past your conscience in wanting your way?
- Is there a conversation God may want to have with you about different options you should be considering?
- Does it surprise you that God can be exhausted by the persistent conversations of resistance or rebellion by His children?
Principle: Resisting God in your conscience when you know the right can lead to Him eventually letting go of the reigns to let you have your way.
