It is hard for God’s people to wait on him. We become impatient. We want things done now. Our mortal perspective struggles to grasp God’s eternal view. Perhaps the Israelites were tired of waiting or they thought Moses had died on the mountain. They decided to take matters into their own hands, and the golden calf was first created and then worshipped.

This was a huge test of Moses’ leadership. God, seeing what had happened, offered to destroy the whole nation and instead create a great nation from Moses’ descendants. Moses was tested, just as Abraham was tested when the Lord told him to sacrifice Isaac. God doesn’t ask Moses for sacrifice, he offers him the chance to be the father of a nation, to abandon these rebellious people, and start again from scratch.

Moses passes the test. He knows the significance of the promise God made to Abraham and he won’t abandon the people of Israel. Instead, he pleads for them and intercedes for them. His prayer is a model for intercession, an appeal on the basis of God’s faithfulness, his glory and his word.

The intercessory prayers of God’s people matter. It is always worth pleading with God on behalf of another person, or even a whole nation. God is sovereign – he could have carried out the destruction of the nation – but he responds to the prayers and requests of his people. We have the great privilege of being able to come before God in prayer. Let us use it!

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH