Numbers 14:13-19: Why Should God Answer Your Prayers?

"Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”

Numbers 14:19

Why should God answer your prayers? This is truly a simple question with a complex answer. Why should the eternal Creator answer the pleas of his creation? Why should the sovereign Lord bow his knee to give ear to your request? You got an answer? Good. Let's see if it's right.

This morning we come to that wonderful story in scripture of the 12 spies entering into the land of Canaan. Y'all know the story, but here's a refresher. The Israelites and Moses have finally reached the border of the promised land, so they send 12 spies into the land to get some recon. They go, and come back, and are terrified. Ten of the twelve spies report to Moses that the land is too great to conquer and that they shouldn't even try. Thus, the people complain and lament greatly all because they are faithless that God will deliver them into the land which he has promised. God hears the peoples' grumbling and is angry. He thus desires to destroy them forever (see Num. 14:12), but Moses has another idea.

Thus, Moses goes to God with an elegant prayer that we see here in Numbers 14:13-19. In these great verses, he pleas to the Lord to answer his prayer to not destroy his people, but rather forgive them. Yet, let us realize something here: Moses doesn't merely offer this prayer to God and then walk away. He doesn't bow his knees before bed one night, ask the Lord to bless his people, and then go to bed. Rather, he pleas with the Lord to answer his request, giving the Lord three reasons to do so. The reasons are most clearly found in the text (which you should go and read for yourself), but in summary, Moses appeals to the Lord's glory (v. 13-16), his promises (v. 17-18), and his love (v. 19, quoted above). Moses knows that the Lord will be more glorified in view of all of the nations around him and more faithful to his promises if he pardons the Israelites and brings them into the land which he has promised to them rather than destroying them. Furthermore, Moses appeals to God's character of love in order to answer his prayers, knowing that the Lord who was loving enough to bring his people out of Egypt was loving enough to forgive them now.

In these great verses, we see something great that we often don't do, that is, give God a reason for our prayers. We often think that the best way to pray is to give God our requests and get out, but that's not exactly the biblical pattern. Although God does want to hear our requests, the Bible displays for us a great pattern to plea for God's mercy because of a certain scripturally-supported reason, such as God's glory, his promises, and his love. Many other passages throughout all of scripture could be given, but let us notice that many times in scripture when a prayer is given, there is a reason attached to it for which God should answer. Oftentimes, we think that this is presuming our opinion or selfishness upon the Lord. However, if we are truly praying our prayers in Jesus' name for God's glory, why should we not give him a reason to answer? Ultimately because of the cross, we can come to God in prayer like this, since we know that if God was for us in the death of his son, he will surely still be for us now. This is not telling God what he should do or manipulating God into giving us what we want; this is faith that the God who we pray to will provide for us as we both let our requests made known to him as well as ask them to fulfill them because of his glory, promises, and character of love.

So, do you dare to pray? Do you dare to give your requests to God in the way that his scripture lays out for us? Why would you seek to merely pray without giving God a reason to answer your petitions? Moses did it, why wouldn't you? So, go to God today, asking him to fix your situation, asking him to heal your relative of cancer, asking him to provide for your next college payment, while at the same time pleading for his glory in the very situation which you are praying for. Ask him to fulfill the request so that people around us might know that he is sovereign over our lives, that he might get the glory. For why would God seek not to answer a request in which he would be most glorified? Dear brothers and sisters, I dare you to pray. Amen.