Start Chiseling…
Exodus 34:4-7 “So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.””
Exodus 34 follows the whole debacle of the golden calf and the Israelites exchanging their worship of God for worship of something made by their hands (Ex. 32). Moses saw what was happening and was so outraged, he smashed the stone tablets on the ground. Yes, THOSE tablets, given by God, showing the 10 commandments. Moses had just come from the presence of God and then walked into the scene and totally lost his temper.
Oh, friends, how many times do we do that? We come out of a beautiful quiet time or time of worship and immediately our human nature takes over- we speak harsh words, cast judgement, or show selfish behavior and then, like Moses, we have to go back to the Lord and face our errors.
God could have told Moses that he’d blown his one and only chance. Sure….but He didn’t. The Lord could have banished Moses and chosen another to take his place. But He didn’t. The Lord could have berated Moses and made him feel worthless and a failure, yet He didn’t. He showed mercy. He simply told Moses to ““Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.” (Ex. 34:1)
God’s mercy is more than we could ever fully comprehend. Yet, too often we gloss over it or disregard it. Too often we want to withhold it from others because we’ve decided they’re not deserving. Oh, we are so foolish and full of ourselves. Our pride and arrogance stand in the way of the most wonderful gift God could give us- His bountiful mercy. He is a loving God, faithful and slow to anger. Do our sons and daughters understand this?? Do they really know what God’s mercy is and that it can be theirs?
Friends, our kids will mess up. They will make poor choices. They will focus on the wrong things, yet, they are still learning. If we’re honest, we are still learning too. Can we show mercy as God does or are we going to hold it against them because they didn’t meet our expectations?
Today, let’s pray that when our sons and daughters ‘mess up’, they realize the wonderful forgiving mercy of our Lord and Savior. Rather than berating them or telling them all the ways they disappointed Him, He simply hands them another tablet and says “start chiseling”. Can we do that with our sons and daughters as well?
“Lord, I pray that You would help me to be merciful. Keep me from arrogant sin that would elevate my expectations and my abilities over someone else and cause them to feel inferior, insufficient or incapable. Help me not to do this to my sons and daughters. Lord, if you did that to us, we would never survive. Yet, in Your mercy, You reach down and support us, encourage us and give us the strength we need to complete the task You’ve given us. I pray for (name) today. Let them focus on You, not things, people or accomplishments. Help them to trust You and rest in You for all they need. May they securely find their identity and meaning in You. Give them insight to understand how Your great mercy is the very thing that sustains their life each day. I pray that they would humbly acknowledge You and all You do for them and then, following Your example, show mercy to others who need to know You too. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Pray without ceasing.