As we continue our journey through Exodus, we find the people of God filled with anxiety and fear at the long absence of Moses as he meets with God on Mt. Sinai. The people fashion the golden calf not as a way of replacing God, but creating a tangible image of “the messenger of God” who would go before them. We recognize in this story our own anxieties and fears when we find ourselves in “in between” moments of not knowing how tomorrow will be. Thankfully, Moses intercedes for the people in his petitions to God. Our prayers of petition (prayers for others) also have the power of reaching the hearing of God. Even when we do not get what we hope for, we continue in our prayers of petition for others, knowing that God hears and God is present.