Moses was not a patient man to start with.
In his younger days, he was quick tempered and impatient. His impatience was obvious when he killed the Egyptian who was beating up his people. His impatience was displayed when he rebuked the men of Israel who was fighting each other.
God had to work patience into the heart of Moses to make Moses the greatest prayer leader of all times.
How did Moses became so patient? I believe he became patient because he had to deal with a group of negative, ungrateful, complaining, grumbling, unthankful people that he had to lead. He could not run away from the task as he had been assigned to it by God!
Deut 1:9 "And I spoke to you at that time, saying: "I alone am not able to bear you."
Deut 1:12 "How can I alone bear your problems and your burdens and your complaints?"
Problems, burdens and complaints.
Sounds familiar? This spiritual malaise is also prevalent in our churches today. How do we as leaders deal with problems, burdens and complaints especially when they come from believers? The only way is to ask God to give us patience in counseling and praying for our people that they will find God and stop complaining!
Moses was not just the meekest man on earth, he was also the most patient man on earth! When it came to the criticisms against him by his own leaders and his family members, Moses did not react against them, hating them or despising them, he did only the one thing he knew to do - he prayed for them!
Numbers 12 - we read of Miriam and Aaron who spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman who he had married; for he had married and Ethiopian woman.
Num 12:1-3
"Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethipian woman he had married...So they said, "Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?" And the Lord heard it. (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth)".
The Lord's anger was aroused and Miriam became leprous - Num 12:10.
Moses pleaded for Miriam to be healed in verse 13, "So Moses cried out to the Lord, "Please heal her, O God, I pray!"
At the Red Sea crossing, Moses found the greatest challenge of prayer. To go back, the Egyptians will certainly kill them all. To go forward was a human impossibility with drowning being a certain outcome.
There was such a great outcry against Moses that could have tested the patience of any man.
Ex 14:12 "Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, "Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness"
Can you imagine? After all the plagues and miracles, the children of Israel still did not see that it was God who had empowered Moses to deliver them out of Egypt! Even at such a critical time, they were not crying out to God for help but they were complaining against Moses!
I can almost feel the anger in Moses's voice as he shouted above the sound of the waters of the Red Sea in Ex 14:13-14 "And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace"
I can also sense the resignation and the acceptance in Moses even though he pleaded with God to let him enter into the promised land.
Deut 3:23-25
"Then I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying: "O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds? I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon"
Deut 3:26
"But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the Lord said to me" "Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter"
Why was Moses not allowed to enter into the promised land? He lost his temper with the children of Israel and called them "rebels" when they complained about there being no water in the wilderness of Zin. God spoke to Moses to speak to the rock to bring forth water but instead of speaking to the rock, Moses struck it twice with his rod.
God was angry with Moses for doing so and refused to let him lead his people into Canaan.
Let us pray: "God give us a heart of patience like Moses in prayer that we may learn to deal with the people's problems, burdens and complaints in prayer"
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