Numbers 20:1-13 The Art of Falling on Our Faces

Observation: The book of Numbers is full of "wilderness narratives", where he people complain against Moses, Aaron, and God over and over again, turning to nostalgia about how great Egypt was, and forgetting the fact that they were slaves there. In this story the issue is there's no water to drink. Today I'm noticing how Moses and Aaron deal with the problem. Where many leaders might try to brainstorm a solution by themselves, or failing that, blame the problem on someone else, Moses and Aaron take their problem straight to God. The text says they "fell on their faces" at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Prayer is their first resort, not their last. 

Application: Being "prostrate," or laying on the ground, face down, is an ancient symbol of submission and worship. It is a posture of prayer used by many faith traditions, including both Islam and some parts of Christianity. Although it's clear from Numbers that Moses and Aaron "fall on their faces" intentionally, to show humility, I kind of like the double entendre, because I often turn to prayer when I've already "fallen on my face" in a metaphorical sense, by making a big, obvious mistake in leadership. 

We really don't like to fall on our faces publicly. It's humiliating. But that doesn't mean God can't use those moments...after all, the root word for "humiliation" is "humility". While it would be nice if we learned humility the easy way, by willingly "falling on our faces" in prayer, as Moses and Aaron did, sometimes (okay, for me, often) we have to learn it the hard way, by taking a fall from pride. 

In one congregation I served, as we prepared to confess our sins, there was a deafening rumble as everyone put down the pew kneelers, to get to their knees and confess to God that they have fallen short. I thought it was kind of a necessary annoyance at the time--the pews were old and well-used--but looking back, I appreciate both the posture people took the time to take, and the little "mood-spoiling" moment just before it, to remind ourselves that we are mortals, going about this the best we can, and it's just not ever going to be perfect. We will certainly fall on our faces. Maybe it's best to start out that way, before the holiness of God. 

Prayer: God, help me fall on my face before you, symbolically, every day. And when it happens by accident, help me turn the moment over to you and learn from it. Amen.