The Prayer of Moses # 1

The Prayer of Moses # 1

"Return, O Lord! How long will it be?" (Psalm 90:13).

So sighed Moses, the man of God, when Israel was wandering in the desert, when death was sweeping away the rebellious generation which came out of Egypt, from the earth; and when God, to a great extent, kept at a distance from them.

And so may we sigh and pray, under our present depressing, discouraging circumstances, as the visible church of Christ. God has covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud: and He has covered Himself with a cloud, so that our prayers will not pass through. We sigh and cry - but He seems to shut out our prayer; we mourn His absence - but He does not favor us with His presence as we desire and wish to enjoy it. The prayer of Moses is ours; yes, beloved, we are crying out, "Return, O Lord! How long will it be?"

What is the CAUSE of this exclamation? Why do we thus pray?

Because we are not favored with those sweet, soul-melting joys which we used to enjoy. One branch of God's kingdom was, joy in the Holy Spirit." One characteristic of the believer was, that he "rejoiced in Christ Jesus." The disciples "were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." Once, in our experience, His teachings dropped as the rain, and His communications distilled as the dew. We sat under His shadow with delight, and His fruit was sweet unto our taste. But where ae those joys now? When do we enjoy such precious seasons?

Where are the people that are in such a case? Alas, generally speaking, we are cold, hard, lifeless, and unspiritual!; therefore, we may well cry, "Return, O Lord! How long will it be?"

Again, the sanctifying influences of the blessed Spirit do not attend the Word as they once did. Time was, when the preacher could say to his people, "We all with open face - beholding as a mirror the glory of the Lord - are being changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." By the gospel ordinances, the Lord sanctified His people: the covetous became liberal; the proud became humble; the idle became industrious; the self-indulgent learned to practice self-denial; the earthly-minded became spiritual; a gradual, progressive - but marked change took place in them! But how, professors remain very much what they were, which makes us exclaim, "Return, O Lord! How long will it be?"

Once more, the saving operations of the quickening Spirit are withheld. Once sinners were converted by thousands: great multitudes both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed. The hand of the Lord was with His servants, and multitudes were turned unto the Lord. The Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved. The gospel was accompanied with an invincible power, and the hearers were born again by the word of truth. The gospel came not in word only - but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Now how few are really converted to God; and even in the converted - how slight the work appears. Once the soul was like softened wax, and the image of Christ was deeply impressed upon it; not it is rather like drawing paper, and the likeness of Jesus is only seen drawn in faint outline upon it. Well, therefore, may we cry, "Return, O Lord! How long will it be?"

And we do so, because we can find no substitute for the divine presence. We have learning, eloquence, argument, emotional appeals, earnest entreaties, and loving tenderness - but all this will not do! Things remain just as they were! We can be  satisfied with nothing less than the presence of God. We value the servants - but we want the Master. We prize the instruments - but we long for the divine Agent. We have the wells - but we want the living, the life-giving water. And all our efforts will decay to nothing - except the Lord returns in power.

In many places, our churches decrease, our congregations dwindle, our pastors are dispirited, and dull discontent pervades all the true people of God. These things make us cry, and cry with painful earnestness, "Return, O Lord! How long will it be?"

~James Smith~

(continued with # 2)