According To Thy Word

There is something in Numbers 14 that made me smile.

Our prayer group leader has been encouraging us for weeks to pray according to God's Word. Then I read Moses' prayer.

"And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken…"Numbers 14:17

That made me smile all over again.

Moses prayed according to what God had already spoken. Then he prayed according to who God had revealed Himself to be.

"The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression…"Numbers 14:18

I love that. Moses knew God's heart. He knew God's character. He knew the God he was talking to. He wasn't trying to find the right words. He was praying from what he knew about God.

That made me stop. Do I know God well enough that His Word becomes my prayer? Do I know Him as longsuffering? Do I know Him as full of mercy? Do I know Him as the One who forgives?

The more I know Him, the more naturally I will pray according to His Word. I want to know Him well enough that when I pray, I find myself agreeing with who He says He is.

Praying the Word is simpler than we make it.

Find what God has spoken in His Word. Look at what it reveals about who He is. Then bring it back to Him in prayer.

"Lord, You have said You are longsuffering and full of mercy. You have shown Yourself to be a God who forgives. I am asking You according to Your Word and according to who You have revealed Yourself to be."

We are not reminding God of something He has forgotten. We are learning to pray in agreement with what He has already said.

"And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word." Numbers 14:20