Hope for Today

Thank you for listening to Hope for Today. We are honored that you have chosen to be with us for today’s lesson. Today our title is “Moses as God’s Man,” and our passage is the next section of Exodus 34. Before we get into today’s lesson think about that title. “Moses as God’s Man” there was a big job to do, and God used Moses to accomplish it. What about today, is God still using people for specific jobs? Does God need us to accomplish certain tasks?   

This question is a bit tricky, there are indeed lots of things we can do for God, and it’s good when we want to serve Him in big ways. However, we are foolish if we think God needs us. God doesn’t need us, but He does want us to partner with Him and be His servant. So yes, God is using people for specific tasks and no God doesn’t need us, but He wants you. Are you willing? Am I willing?   

I like the mindset Mordecai had in the story of Esther and it’s a good example for us. He heard about Haman’s plan to destroy the Jews and he persuaded Esther to go before the king on behalf of her people. Mordecai was convinced God would save the Jews, if Esther was going to be silent deliverance would come from another place. Then he asked, “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”  

The first thing for us to notice and copy, Mordecai had total confidence in God and did all he could. He knew the Jewish people would not be destroyed, but it didn’t look good. He didn’t know how God would deliver them, so He did all he could with what he had. God still is trustworthy, but that doesn’t mean we sit around and do nothing. Let’s be like Mordecai and use our abilities, our resources, and the connections we have to serve God.     

Second is the famous phrase, maybe you have been put here for such a time as this. The attitude behind this phrase is an attitude we should have. He knew he was part of a bigger plan, someone greater than Haman or Xerxes was in control and that power had him there for a reason. The same is true for you and me, maybe God put us right where we are for a reason. Not maybe, God has a reason and God has a plan, He is in control. It is our responsibility to see the big picture. So, let’s use all we have and contribute to His plan, right where you are, right now, for such a time as this.     

So yes, Moses was God’s man for that moment. Will you be God’s man or woman for this moment? Do you have total confidence in Him and make decisions from His perspective, from the big picture? God doesn’t need us, but He wants us, and it is up to us to allow God to use us, be willing and be available.   

If you can turn to Exodus 34:10-17 and let’s listen to Bible teacher J Mark Horst as he teaches the rest of today’s lesson.     

Moses was the great leader of the children of Israel many years ago when they traveled from Egypt to Canaan. God chose Moses for that distinctive work. 

I believe God has a special work for each person and for each work God has His person. That means God has a work for me and a work for you to do. In this specific place and time in Israel’s history, God chose Moses for this special work. He had a work for His man, Moses. 

Moses had grown up, you may remember, in the court of Pharaoh and was heir to the throne of Egypt. But God had to humble him, so He sent Him out on the back side of the desert as a shepherd. He went from being a “somebody” to being a “nobody.” Then, God called him to be the leader of His people. Moses was reluctant to serve, he felt he was unqualified. But Moses as God’s man was especially qualified and trained by the LORD for the task which God called him now to perform. 

In Exodus 34:10-17 God confirmed His call to Moses that he was indeed His man for this special task and work. 

10. He said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD for it is a terrible thing that will do with thee. 

11.  Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 

12.  Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: 

13.  But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: 

14.  For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: 

15.  Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a-whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice. 

16.  And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a-whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a-whoring after their gods. 

17.   Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. 

Here then in this text God gave final DIRECTIVES to His man for His work. 

The First DIRECTIVE is, 

To Observe God’s Outstanding Works 

The LORD said, “I’m going to do marvels.” That means He was going to do outstanding works. He said, “Marvels, such as had not been done in all the earth or in any nation.” Moses was going to have the opportunity to observe God at work in a particular, special, marvelous, way before all the people of Israel. The LORD said He had not done this in any other nation or among any other people. 

We may wonder, why would God do such outstanding works among a particular people called Israel. There is a reason for that, a special reason. God was going to bring forth His Word and His will to all the people of the earth through the people of Israel and by the hand of His man, Moses. God chose this particular man and this particular people to bring His revelation to all the world and that is an outstanding work. 

We may not know all God wills to do, even as Moses did not know all God was going to do, but we should be ready to behold His marvelous works whatever He does. This was preparation for Moses, God’s man, to observe His outstanding works. 

The Second DIRECTIVE is, 

To Obey God’s Commanding Word 

God gave Moses, His man, an especially careful command. It had to do with other people. He named several different ancient people in verse 11; the Amorite, Canaanite, Hittite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite. These were six neighboring nations to the people of Israel. God said to Moses that he was to be very careful regarding these people because they were not worshipping the true God. 

God had a special command regarding their religion. Israel was to have nothing to do with their religions at all. God was giving Moses a commanding word regarding their situation and religion. He said Moses must be careful in every way not to become ensnared in the heathen religions of these neighboring peoples. He said Israel should destroy all their altars, images, and idols. 

Moses as God’s man was to obey His commanding word. We must also be sure to follow the commandments of the LORD carefully. We should never presume upon the mercy and grace of God. Like Moses as God’s man, we should carefully obey His word. 

The Third DIRECTIVE is, 

To Order God’s Demanding Worship. 

This is an enlargement of the second directive. Notice verse 14, “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” God will allow no rival, no other worship for His people. Moses, as God’s man, was to order the worship of God by concentrating on the one and only God, the LORD who is a jealous God. 

To accomplish this, all others would need to be excluded. There could be no compromise. They could not make a covenant with the other inhabitants of the land to participate in their worship services when they sacrificed unto idols. They could not compromise by taking the daughters of foreigners as wives for their sons, lest their sons be ensnared in heathen idolatry. 

God concluded His demands about worship by saying they were to make no kind of molten gods. This is what the ancient Canaanite tribes were known for – casting gods out of gold, silver, or some other molten metal. God was warning Moses, especially against this. 

Moses as God’s man was to order Israel’s worship according to God’s demanding way. We too must make certain we are worshipping the true God in His way without compromise. That is what Moses as God’s man was expected to do. 

Moses as God’s man received these directives: observe God’s outstanding works, obey God’s commanding word, and order God’s demanding worship. God gave these directives to Moses as His man so that He would be real in Moses’ life. There can be no rivalry with the presence of God in anyone’s life. 

I wonder how God comes to you. How do you come to God? Is He real to you? Are you God’s man or woman?  

Thanks, J Mark for sharing this lesson with us. Those are good questions. The answers are on us, no other person can answer them for us. I encourage you to think about how you know God, and then put effort into your relationship with Him. If we just let it go nothing will happen, so don’t do that.   

As you have also noticed we are coming to the end of Exodus. We have been in Exodus just over a year and now we have three more lessons left. After Exodus is finished, we plan to go through the New Testament book of II Corinthians. We look forward to this change and hope you will join us for this study.    

However, if you have questions about today’s lesson or want a copy of this teaching, feel free to contact us. Here is how you can contact us. The best way is by email. Our email is [email protected]. If you don’t have an email, please write to us, our address is Hope for Today, Box 3 Breezewood, PA 15533. Or you can connect with us on our website. Our website is Heraldsofhope.org. On our website you can listen to other programs like this and find more helpful resources, so please look around while you are there. If you go to the connect tab you can even message us directly from our website. Which again is, heraldsofhope.org.   

Thanks again for joining us this week. This brings us to the end of our program. Lord willing, we will be together again next week, till then Go with God and I leave you with the question I asked at the beginning. Will you be God’s man or woman for this moment? You are where you are for a reason. Allow Him to work in and through you.   

*This episode is an exposition by J. Otis Yoder, re-recorded by J. Mark Horst, with an opening and closing by Arlin Horst.

It is good to be with you this week, thanks so much for joining us on Hope for Today. There is absolutely no other book like the Bible, and we believe every part of the Bible is beneficial for us. As you know, we are studying in Exodus, but this is not the only book of the Bible we have teaching from.

Here is a testimony from Macedonia, and at the time we were airing our teaching from one of the Gospels.   

“I listen to Radio 7 daily because it is different from all the other radio stations in our country. The music and the radio programs give me a lot of inner peace and have helped me practically with a few relationship problems I have had this year. I want to thank you for the program, Heralds of Hope. I am a Russian orthodox believer and though I always had a Bible in my home, I never opened it. I always was told that only the priests can understand the Bible and we do what we are told. Through the program Heralds of Hope, I was encouraged to read the Bible myself for the first time. This radio program has helped me a lot to understand the Gospels. I like that the teacher studies every chapter of the Gospel. Nothing is left out. I never thought that the Gospels had so many teachings about everyday life. I learned from the program how to forgive others and since then my relationships have improved greatly.” 

Isn’t this testimony amazing? Notice how the listener was impacted when they read the Bible on their own. Have you had an experience like this with God’s Word? I have and those who are involved with Heralds of Hope have also experienced the life in this wonderful book. This is the life and hope we share with you.  

With that introduction let’s go with Bible teacher, J Mark Horst to the Old Testament book of Exodus. If you can, follow along in your Bible and get ready to see God and be changed by Him.    

Every religion has certain forms, certain liturgy, we might say, certain ways that the worshippers perform to meet God. Some have mandated times for prayer. At different times of the day, they stop what they’re doing and pray. Some have certain postures in prayer such as folded hands or kneeling on the ground or bowing low. Some have special places for prayer where they enter only after cleansing certain parts of their bodies. Some go to temples, shrines, or other locations to offer their prayers. 

These forms may be good, but they also may take the first place rather than God. When form becomes the most important part, worshipers forget that there must be more to religion than merely form or else it is empty. Some worshippers have form, but they make no contact with God. It is just a matter of going through the motions. But God wants to be real to you in your spirit, just as real as He was to Moses and the people of Israel. 

In ancient days it was also true that the how could be more important than the whom. So, the true God came to Israel and told them how to pray so He would be real to them. 

Moses received instructions from God for THE ALTAR OF PRAYER in Exodus 30:1-10. As we meditate on this, we will find some beautiful insights on prayer as worship. 

1.  And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of acacia wood shalt thou make it. 

2.  A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same. 

3.  And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about. 

4.  And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal. 

5.  And thou shalt make the staves of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 

6.  And thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. 

7.  And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresses the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 

8.  And when Aaron lights the lamps in the evening, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. 

9.  Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. 

10.  And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD. 

In these verses are set forth the SPECIFICS which defined the altar of prayer, here called the altar of incense, for the ancient people of Israel. 

The First Specific is,  

The Production of the Altar 

The materials of which it was made were accurately described. They were to make it of acacia wood. This was the main kind of wood that was available in the Sinai Peninsula at that time. But in any case, God made it clear that it was to be made of a specific kind of wood and it was to be overlaid with pure gold. 

God was very specific about this altar of incense. The material was carefully described. The shape was carefully designed. It was to be a cubit, about one-half meters square, as long as broad. It was to be two cubits or one meter high. The horns on it were made of the same material. God was specific about the production of the altar. 

There were golden rings fastened to the corners so it could be carried with staves. They were made of the same kind of wood and also overlaid with gold. This altar was meant to be moveable. The altar of incense was to be carried wherever they took the tabernacle. I see a beautiful application here. Everyone needs some particular place for prayer and for the people of Israel it was this altar of incense, made of wood and gold, made square and moveable. It was available to them no matter where they went. Prayer works the same way for us today. We can pray and meet with God no matter where we are.  

My wife and I have our daily family prayers in the morning along with a cup of coffee. We have a specific place for prayer in our home and in our schedule. It seems only right after these many years that we should continue having this altar for prayer.  

The Next Specific is,  

The Position of the Altar 

Moses was instructed that the altar should be put in front of the veil. The veil divided the tabernacle into two parts. The first part was the Holy Place, and the other part was the Most Holy Place. They were separated by a curtain or veil. This altar of incense was to be near the veil in the Holy Place. It was near the ark of the testimony which was on the other side of the veil in the Most Holy Place. 

We know that the mercy seat covered the ark of the testimony. The divine Law of God on the two tablets of stone was in that ark. The altar of incense, representing the prayers of God’s people, was to be placed near the ark of the testimony. The mercy seat was the meeting place between man and God. This altar of incense and prayer was to be placed close to the ark of the testimony, as near as possible, yet separated by the veil which divided the tabernacle. 

God had a specific position for that altar of incense. It was near His Word: the divine revelation on the tablets of the Law. I believe that everyone in prayer time needs to include God’s Word. It is a working principle: always season your prayers with God’s Word.  

The Final Specific is,  

The Purpose of the Altar 

God instructed Moses that Aaron should burn sweet incense on that altar every morning and every evening. There was to be a regular time for burning incense on this altar. In fact, God said there was to be a never-ending burning of incense before the LORD throughout their generations. There was to be a regularity about this worship form. It was not to be occasional or offered haphazardly. There was to be incense burning continually on this altar. The sweet fragrance of the incense rising up to God represents the prayer of God’s people. 

There was also to be a specific kind of incense. God gave them the recipe of ingredients they were to use. No strange incense, no offering of any other kind was to be brought to this particular altar. God is specific about what He says. So, He said this altar was to be reserved only for the burning of incense of a proper kind, that it should be regular and never-ending. 

I believe everyone needs a regular prayer time just like this incense burning every morning and every evening.  My wife and I have our regular prayer times. Besides those morning prayers we have prayer at every meal. It is only proper that we should thank the LORD for the food He provides for us. 

Let us learn the lessons we can from the experiences of ancient Israel. God gave them instruction regarding this altar of incense. I found several lessons here. One, we need a specific prayer time, and we need to be there at that specific time and place. We need to be near God’s Word, to anchor our prayers in the Scripture. And we need a regular and perpetual time for prayer. I get this from the altar of incense for Israel. There was the production, the position, and the purpose of this altar. 

God gave them this altar of incense to cultivate worship that was real. Is God real in your times of worship? God desires the pleasure of your wholehearted worship. 

Thanks J Mark for this teaching on prayer. Today’s title was “Who Will Pray for Us?” When I heard this title, it made me think of another question. I had to wonder, who do I pray for? Who are the people we pray for regularly? Do you take the time to bring them before God and pray for them. Yes, I know this takes effort but our time with God must be fought for and protected. Satan does not like to see you wake up early or stay up late so you can spend time with God. This is where our power lies, and Satan loves to see us get busy or distracted so we shorten our prayer time. I challenge you, don’t let it happen. 

God tells us the fervent effectual prayer of a righteous man avails much or makes a big difference. If you are like me, it is a struggle against my flesh to keep my prayers fervent and effectual. When I am praying is when I am tempted to think about so many other things, or I feel hungry or thirsty. The truth is Satan does not care how he distracts us or keeps us from prayer, anything will work as long as our time with God is less. This is not an unusual struggle. It is a battle we are all in.  So, let’s be good soldiers of Christ and defend our time with God.  

If you have any questions or if you’d like a copy of today’s teaching, here is how you can contact us. The best way is email. Our email is [email protected]. If you don’t have email, no problem, you could write to us, our address is Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, Pennsylvania 15533. Or you can connect with us on our website. Our website is heraldsofhope.org. On our website you can listen to our other programs and find helpful resources, so please look around while you are there. If you go to the connect tab you can message us directly. Again, the website is heraldsofhope.org.  

Thank you so much for being with us. We look forward to next week and hope you will join us for more teaching from Exodus. I leave you with this verse from Hebrews that reminds us of where the power of our prayers comes from. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” 

*This episode is an exposition of Exodus 30:1-10 by J. Otis Yoder, re-recorded by J. Mark Horst, with an opening and closing by Arlin Horst.

It is good to be with you this week, thanks so much for joining us on Hope for Today. There is absolutely no other book like the Bible, and we believe every part of the Bible is beneficial for us. As you know, we are studying in Exodus, but this is not the only book of the Bible we have teaching from.

Here is a testimony from Macedonia, and at the time we were airing our teaching from one of the Gospels.   

“I listen to Radio 7 daily because it is different from all the other radio stations in our country. The music and the radio programs give me a lot of inner peace and have helped me practically with a few relationship problems I have had this year. I want to thank you for the program, Heralds of Hope. I am a Russian orthodox believer and though I always had a Bible in my home, I never opened it. I always was told that only the priests can understand the Bible and we do what we are told. Through the program Heralds of Hope, I was encouraged to read the Bible myself for the first time. This radio program has helped me a lot to understand the Gospels. I like that the teacher studies every chapter of the Gospel. Nothing is left out. I never thought that the Gospels had so many teachings about everyday life. I learned from the program how to forgive others and since then my relationships have improved greatly.” 

Isn’t this testimony amazing? Notice how the listener was impacted when they read the Bible on their own. Have you had an experience like this with God’s Word? I have and those who are involved with Heralds of Hope have also experienced the life in this wonderful book. This is the life and hope we share with you.  

With that introduction let’s go with Bible teacher, J Mark Horst to the Old Testament book of Exodus. If you can, follow along in your Bible and get ready to see God and be changed by Him.    

Do you think there is value in prayer? What is the point of praying to a God whom you cannot see? It all depends to whom you pray. The eternal, Creator God of the Bible promises to answer our prayers. We have prayed to Him and received direct answers to our prayers. If you pray to a different god, does he or she answer your prayers? 

Sometimes in life we get discouraged, and we reach out for help to someone who will pray for us. I’m so thankful that my mother prayed for me as long as she lived. She went to be with the LORD in 2009. Then the LORD raised up another dear elderly lady who volunteered to take her place. She prayed for me as long as she lived. Praise the LORD! Many other dear Christians pray for me for which I am grateful. 

Who prays for you? In Exodus 29:1-9 the question was WHO WILL PRAY FOR US? God instructed Moses how to take care of this need for His people. 

1.  And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them, to minister unto me in the priest’s office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, 

2.  And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them. 

3.  And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams. 

4.  And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. 

5.  And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the [skillfully woven band] of the ephod: 

6.  And thou shalt put the turban upon his head and put the holy crown upon the turban. 

7.  Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him. 

8.  And thou shalt bring his sons and put coats upon them. 

9.  And thou shalt gird them with [sashes], Aaron, and his sons, and put the [caps] on them: and the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons. 

In Israel’s worship God chose the family of Aaron to be priests who would pray for the people. God gave Moses several DIRECTIVES for this choice. 

The First Directive was, 

The Preparation.  

The LORD told Moses to take his brother Aaron’s family and hallow them to minister unto the LORD in the priest’s office. To hallow them means to make them holy, to set them apart for a holy work.  

Moses was to offer a bullock and two young rams. When these were sacrificed, Aaron and his sons would lay their hands on these animals signifying that these animals were taking their place. It was a bloody sacrifice. The animal’s blood was substitution for their blood which would have been shed because sin brings death. In this way Aaron and His sons were consecrated, set apart, and prepared to be ministers unto the LORD. 

The bread they ate with the sacrifice was to be unleavened cakes or wafers. Leaven is a type of sin in the Bible and so this bread was to be unleavened. It symbolized that Aaron, and his sons, were cleansed from sin to stand before God as holy men. 

Who will pray for us? The Psalmist David said, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” So, this was the preparation commanded by God. By this Moses set apart Aaron and his sons for the priesthood, to stand in the place of prayer. 

The Next Directive was, 

The Presentation.  

God told Moses to take Aaron and his sons and bring them to the door of the tabernacle. There he was to wash them with water. This cleansing was a very important part of the consecration of these men to stand as priests for the people. Then they were to be clothed with special garments. Moses was instructed to clothe Aaron with the coat, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, the breastplate, and the sash or belt. Exodus chapter 28 gives us the description of these beautiful garments. 

The ephod was like a vest of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet. Two onyx stones were placed on the shoulders with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel engraved upon them. The breastplate over the ephod had four rows of three stones, all precious stones. They were to symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel. The miter, or turban, that Aaron was to wear on his head had engraved in it “Holiness to the LORD.” 

In the presentation of Aaron and his sons to serve in the office of priest, Moses anointed them with oil. “Then shalt thou take the anointing oil and pour it upon his head and anoint him.” 

So, there was a presentation of these men who were to minister in the priesthood. All God’s commands were carefully carried out with the cleansing and the clothing. Both of them are very important. Please remember that the cleansing needs to come first before the clothing can be put on. 

It must have been a beautiful sight to see Aaron so clothed in the holy garments of his office. He was to serve then as the one who would I pray for the people of Israel. 

The Final Directive was, 

The Preservation 

There was the preparation, the presentation, and the preservation. God planned that Aaron’s sons were to succeed him. They were to share with him in this office of the priesthood. They were to be the ones who would then minister after Aaron died. So, they were consecrated, they were presented at the same time as Aaron was. They were separated for this particular office and ministry.  Moses was instructed to bring them and put coats upon them and clothe them with sashes and prepare them for the same kind of service that their father Aaron was to engage in. It was the office of the priest. 

The choice of Aaron’s family was a never-ending statute or command. In other words, no other families, only this one, God had chosen to be the holy family to pray. 

It must be clear that it was necessary to have a holy family to pray, to intercede for God’s people. So, God chose Aaron’s family to be His priest. There work is finished. They are not functioning as priests today. So, who will pray for us now? The Psalmist David tells us in the 110th Psalm, speaking of Jesus, the Messiah, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” 

David predicted that there would be a priest of another order beside the order of Aaron’s family. We understand that He came. He is Jesus, the God man. Now He prays for us because He is seated at the right hand of God, as our high priest. 

In Hebrews 1 we read, “Who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” The One who prays for us is the sacrificed, resurrected, and ascended Jesus. He prays for us. If you are willing to come to Him, He will pray for you, too. 

Thanks J Mark for this teaching on prayer. Today’s title was “Who Will Pray for Us?” When I heard this title, it made me think of another question. I had to wonder, who do I pray for? Who are the people we pray for regularly? Do you take the time to bring them before God and pray for them. Yes, I know this takes effort but our time with God must be fought for and protected. Satan does not like to see you wake up early or stay up late so you can spend time with God. This is where our power lies, and Satan loves to see us get busy or distracted so we shorten our prayer time. I challenge you, don’t let it happen. 

God tells us the fervent effectual prayer of a righteous man avails much, or makes a big difference. If you are like me, it is a struggle against my flesh to keep my prayers fervent and effectual. When I am praying is when I am tempted to think about so many other things, or I feel hungry or thirsty. The truth is Satan does not care how he distracts us or keeps us from prayer, anything will work as long as our time with God is less. This is not an unusual struggle. It is a battle we are all in.  So, let’s be good soldiers of Christ and defend our time with God.  

If you have any questions or if you’d like a copy of today’s teaching, here is how you can contact us. The best way is email. Our email is [email protected]. If you don’t have email, no problem, you could write to us, our address is Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, Pennsylvania 15533. Or you can connect with us on our website. Our website is heraldsofhope.org. On our website you can listen to our other programs and find helpful resources, so please look around while you are there. If you go to the connect tab you can message us directly. Again, the website is heraldsofhope.org.  

Thank you so much for being with us. We look forward to next week and hope you will join us for more teaching from Exodus. I leave you with this verse from Hebrews that reminds us of where the power of our prayers comes from. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” 

*This episode is an exposition of Exodus 29:1-9 by J. Otis Yoder, re-recorded by J. Mark Horst, with an opening and closing by Arlin Horst.