“On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your God: I am the LORD your God.”
– Numbers 10:10
What a really interesting phrase there at the end. So this picture of blowing the trumpets was more than just getting the people’s attention. It was a picture of getting God’s attention. It’s like a prayer. It was a plea for God to remember his people and their needs. Like, they shall be a reminder of you before your God.
May we be a people who are constantly crying out to God.
This Verse Reminds Us that God Knows Everything About Us
Now obviously, God knows us. God knows everything about us. God is always watching over us. It’s not like he forgets about us. Like, “Oh, David.” Or, “Oh, whoever. I forgot about you.” That’s obviously not the case. We know that. At the same time, you think about prayer. Prayer’s like blowing the trumpets before God, saying, “God, I need you. Please help me. Please give your attention to me. Give your attention to this person, to this or that need. God, we are blowing the trumpets.” And when we pray, we’re asking God, “Lead us. Guide us. Direct us. Help us in this way or that way.”
And it’s a good picture of what we do constantly. In the morning, at night. All throughout the day. When we pray. Even now. So pray with this in mind. “God. I am, we are sounding the trumpet right now. We need your help.” I’d make a trumpet sound if it wouldn’t sound really crazy right now. God, I need your help in my life today. I need your help in my life, in my marriage, and in my family. My kids need your help. My wife needs your help. The church that I’m a part of needs your help. Lord, I need your help in my work. Got so many things I’m wrestling with right now, and God, I need your help.
Numbers 10:10 Prays for the Gospel to Reach the Unreached
And I’m praying right now for others who need your help too. Lord, we’re sounding the trumpet. I’m sounding the trumpet for them. God, please provide the grace that’s needed, the strength that’s needed. The peace that’s needed. The healing that’s needed. And sounding the trumpet for those who are in need of healing. I’m sounding the trumpet for those who are in need of hope.
I’m sounding the trumpet for those who are in need of joy and your leadership, your wisdom, and the decisions that are being made. God, I’m sounding the trumpet on behalf of people who have never even heard your name. God, they need you. They need your grace. They need your mercy. God, I pray for the Kumal people in Nepal. God, please. Oh God, they need your mercy. They’re yet to be reached with the Gospel. I’m sounding the trumpet on their behalf. Please, oh God, cause them to be reached with the Gospel.
Numbers 10:10 Encourages Us to Sound the Trumpet of the Gospel
I’m sounding the trumpet on behalf of people that I exercised with this morning who don’t know you. And I’ve got opportunities that I shared with you yesterday. God, please, please, please open their eyes to your salvation. Please, oh, God. I’m sounding the trumpet on behalf of people in our churches. God, we need your help. Remember our churches. We need your grace, and your mercy in our churches today. Please, oh God, save us from ourselves and our country. God, we are sounding the trumpet in our country. We need your mercy, your grace. God, in all these ways, right now.
And this is just a couple of short minutes, like all day long. God, help us to sound the trumpet before you, knowing that we are being heard by you. That you do indeed remember us. You know us. And you answer when we call to you. So answer in all these ways we pray, oh God. And help as to keep sounding the trumpet until we prevail in this sense. That we see you answer in ways that bring you great glory. God, help us to ask and keep on asking. Knock and keep on knocking. To sound the trumpet and just keep on sounding it. For our good and your glory, we pray these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
