Relational Communication

UV 1681/10000 Relational Communication
And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
Exodus 33 v 11

Moses rose early daily and spoke with the Lord. His face shone with the Shekinah glory of the Lord when he returned from his communion with the Lord. God spoke to him personally as a person speaks to his friend. Moses trusted in the words spoken by the Lord even when they appeared near impossible, fraught with risk and danger. Today, the Lord speaks to us personally through His Word and we speak to Him in prayer. It is a face to face communication with the Lord, a two way communication. It is not motivated communication based on quid pro quo or mutual gain but relational communication. Relational communication is communication with a person just to celebrate that relationship, to sustain and deepen it and to affirm one’ faith in that person. Every time we communicate with the Lord, we perceive His glory and goodness and we appropriate His grace. Relational communication is real, holistic, wholesome and transformational. We are transformed into His likeness degree by degree, day by day by spending time in His presence. It is open and unveiled communication- without the veils of religion, philosophy, ritual, restraint, distrust, fear. His unseen presence is like the pillar of cloud that descended to the door of the Tabernacle when Moses enter to commune with the Lord.

This uni-verse tells us how we should talk with God. Just as a friend shares all the current happenings, the good things as well as the things that grieve, hurt him, burdens ,discourages him, worries him, we need to confide in the Lord. A friend shares the secret desires of his heart unashamedly and without embarrassment. A friend shares both his hopes and his frustration, the stories or accounts of his challenges, burdens, successes, failures, strengths and weaknesses. Our communication should be face to face with God and not indirect, not through any other mediator other than Jesus. As we talk with Him, He will write on the tablet of our hearts and minds by means of His Spirit what He wants us to do during the day. The day is a metaphor for what we know we should do. We need to be diligent in obeying it. The night is a metaphor for the things we do not know. The Lord being a fire by night is a metaphor in our times that He would handle the unknown aspects of our lives- the threats, the lurking dangers of our lives, the imponderables, the mysteries.

The most vital communication of our days is our talk with the Lord. The Lord speaks His promises into our lives. His promises are the resources He gives us to fulfil His mandate for our lives. Just as Joshua, the follower and successor of Moses never left the tabernacle, we should never leave the presence of the Lord. The presence of the Lord accompanies us wherever we go and gives us “rest”- rest implies Shalom or success, fulfilment, peace, grace, health, joy, wholesomeness, wisdom, guidance, leadership, power and victory. Talking with the Lord personally, intimately and privately was Moses’ way of plugging into the power and grace of God. It equipped and enabled Moses to fulfil his calling as the leader of Israel. When he was first called to be a leader, Moses saw himself as a poor communicator but his daily communication with the Lord enabled him to be a powerful communicator of the will and word of the Lord. Our daily communication with the Lord will fill the gaps in our leadership and our lives. The fact that the young Joshua also learnt to spend time in the tabernacle just like Moses shows that it was an anointing that was not unique to only Moses but that anyone who has a desire, a passion to relate and to communicate with the Lord will have access to this face to face, direct, personal, intimate and intense relationship. Joshua excelled his mentor Moses in that he never sought to depart from the presence of the Lord but remained immersed therein. Joshua went on to lead Israel through a miraculous crossing of the Jordan, the dismantling of the walls of Jericho and the defeat of 31 kings of Canaan. Every day or 31 days of the longer months, each of us is attacked by one or other of the princes or powers of darkness. The Lord will be our cloud of blessing, our firewall of protection during these days as we practice relational communication with Him. The greatest mentoring or discipleship that we can undertake in our lives is to teach, demonstrate, lead young people into a personal relationship and daily communication with the Lord.

Prateep V Philip