Desire God's More For Yourself - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) June 27, 2025
- P L U N D E R E R
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
When the Israelites were about to cross the River Jordan, they arrived in a beautiful area. Verdant fields with plants and trees made it attractive to the Tribes of Reuben and Gad (Numbers 32). The leaders of these tribes approached Moses and the other elders and asked if they and their families could stay there.
Moses reminded them of how a few people had refused to enter the promised land 40 years earlier and the consequences. They'd angered God, and He wiped out an entire section of the population, keeping the Israelites in the wilderness. Moses asked these men if they were willing to put the entire community in trouble just so they could stay where they wanted instead of going where God was sending the group.
The leaders of Reuben and Gad regrouped and then returned to Moses with an alternative request. They committed to going with the rest of the community to conquer the land west of the Jordan River. However, once done, they wanted to return to their preferred land. Moses agreed to this, and eventually the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and some from Manasseh settled on the eastern side of the Jordan.
This series of events is an important example of how easy it is to settle for less than what God has for you. The people of Reuben, Gad, and some of the Manassites were likely tired from 40 years of waiting for God's promise. They'd become disillusioned and just wanted to settle down and start their lives after waiting for so long. And with that perspective, they were willing to forsake what lay ahead in Canaan.
Most of us are no different. We're sure of what we can see right now and may be content with what we currently have. So much so that we become unwilling to do the additional waiting and warring that may be required to take possession of what God has assigned us. Doing this is to ignore that God has more waiting just ahead.
Desiring God's more requires the application of our faith. We have to put it to work, believing that what lies ahead will be better than what we've seen in the past. The Bible says in Haggai 2:9 - The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.” This verse speaks to the second temple to be erected in Jerusalem, but do you realize it also speaks to you? You are God's earthly temple, and the days to come will be greater than those gone by.
If you trust that God's word is true and that He plans to bring you to an expected end per Jeremiah 29:11, then you must desire God's more for you. You can't be satisfied with where you are spiritually. You should want more of Him and His Spirit at work in you and around you. For this to happen, you must give Him what He wants to get what you desire. Spend more time with His word. Seek out Spirit-led counsel. Be more intentional in surrounding yourself with Spirit-filled ideas and individuals. Pray to hear the Lord clearly and be led only by His Spirit and His Son, Jesus.
Those three tribes were satisfied to stop before entering God's promised land. Complacency caused them to reject their inheritance. They didn't realize that although the land they liked was good, God had even better waiting deeper into the territory ahead. We should learn from this mistake. In time, their being on the other side of the Jordan opened them up to attacks from the surrounding peoples. They were the first to be picked off over the years as the kingdoms of Israel were conquered.
May we never forget that God has a plan and a reason for what He's doing in us and where He's taking us, IJMN Amen. He knows what's coming. And when we desire His 'more', we have increased protection from our enemies. And in desiring the fullness of His promise, we don't inadvertently forsake our inheritance and lose out on His goodness. May the Lord help us all to increasingly invest in our relationship with Him so we hear and are led to receive His more, IJN Amen.
To learn more, please read:
11 more gatherings and we'll hit our 500th P&P meeting on this platform.
May the Lord help us all so we can be present that day by His grace and to His glory for it shall be a great thing to celebrate Him bringing us this far.
Praise God!
CLOSING PRAYER
Psalm 33:11 - But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Father, thank You for being the God whose plans and purposes are established and unchanging.
I pray over today's participants that each will trust your settled plan and will desire to walk with you to the fulfillment of Your purpose for their life. That they and their generations will enjoy the more You have in store for them, IJN Amen.
LAST 10 MINUTES
Why does today's message matter?
Well, many of us are content with what we've got, ignoring that God has more in store for us. That ignorance could be because the wait has been long, and we just want it to be over.
To receive His more will always require our obedience and commitment to Him. I'm learning that it pays to humbly walk with God and allow Him to have His way in my life.
And as I learn to submit more and more, I realize that so many of the choices I made in my 'Before Christ' era would have been strikingly different if I could redo things now that I know Jesus.
And that's the…
Father, I come against every spirit of death, self-harm, suicide, and any other related spirit seeking to steal life from Your people.
I thank You for You have revealed the modus operandi of satan - it has come to steal, to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10). But in that same scripture, You assured us that You came to give life and life more full and abundant than we could imagine.
God, I pray over everyone that You will allow this prayer to touch. They will live and not die to declare Your glorious works (Psalm 118:17). Right here, in the land of the living. For this is Your word and no word of God shall ever fail (Luke 1:37).…
Glorious God, thank You for being the God who cares for all. Thank You for You are He who makes the sun shine on the good and evil. You allow the rain to fall on the wicked and the upright (Matthew 5:45). Praise be to You, kind Father.
Lord, God, I want to pray for those experiencing housing insecurity. God. You are He who does not deprive His children of any good thing per Psalm 34:10. Thank You, God, that housing is a good thing and just as You ensured that Elijah was taken care of even in the wilderness not allowing him to be exposed to the elements (1 Kings 19:9), I look to You to provide for Your people…