I bet you didn't think that "later" would be a whole month later....me neither! Nevertheless, Exodus 33 still rings loudly in my mind.
In Exodus 33 the Lord tells Moses to lead the Israelites to the land He promised them, but He was not going to go with them because they had broken covenant with Him. God was temporarily removing His presence. Moses went to the "tent of meeting" to petition the Lord. He knew that a mere angel was no substitute for God's presence.
(Little bit of a side note: verses 7-11 describe the tent of meeting and, oh my word, I love it!!! Moses would pitch a tent outside of camp to meet with God "face to face, as a man speaks with a friend". Whenever Moses would go in to meet with God a pillar of cloud would move across the entrance to the tent. Whenever the people saw this they would stand at the entrance and worship. AMAZING! 1st that the King of Kings would meet with Moses face to face, 2nd that there would be such a visible sign to let people know He was speaking to someone, and 3rd that when His people saw the sign, they worshiped. There is SO much to draw from that picture! Just imagine in your mind what that looked like and how it correlates to us today. Astounding!)
Now, back to my point. Moses was basically begging God, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is Your people." The next verse is what originally captivated me. The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Not presence but capital P Presence! Obviously, another name for the Lord and one of my favorites! Who, what, and where are we if we don't have God's Presence? I cringe to even think where or who I would be without it. Apparently that thought scared Moses as well.
"If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"
Oh, how I pray that people see the Lord in me! His Presence is SO important and what Christianity is all about...we HAVE to exude it! Chris Tomlin's song, "Here for You" potrays this perfectly and I love the line "Let our shout be your echo!" I'm making that my prayer.
The Lord replied to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." Proof that the Lord hears our cries and wants to give us what we desire when we delight in him!
These scriptures speak for themselves and I have read them over and over! I so badly want to recognize His Presence more in my life and exude it for others to see and come to know Him!
(Little bit of a side note: verses 7-11 describe the tent of meeting and, oh my word, I love it!!! Moses would pitch a tent outside of camp to meet with God "face to face, as a man speaks with a friend". Whenever Moses would go in to meet with God a pillar of cloud would move across the entrance to the tent. Whenever the people saw this they would stand at the entrance and worship. AMAZING! 1st that the King of Kings would meet with Moses face to face, 2nd that there would be such a visible sign to let people know He was speaking to someone, and 3rd that when His people saw the sign, they worshiped. There is SO much to draw from that picture! Just imagine in your mind what that looked like and how it correlates to us today. Astounding!)
Now, back to my point. Moses was basically begging God, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is Your people." The next verse is what originally captivated me. The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Not presence but capital P Presence! Obviously, another name for the Lord and one of my favorites! Who, what, and where are we if we don't have God's Presence? I cringe to even think where or who I would be without it. Apparently that thought scared Moses as well.
"If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"
Oh, how I pray that people see the Lord in me! His Presence is SO important and what Christianity is all about...we HAVE to exude it! Chris Tomlin's song, "Here for You" potrays this perfectly and I love the line "Let our shout be your echo!" I'm making that my prayer.
The Lord replied to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." Proof that the Lord hears our cries and wants to give us what we desire when we delight in him!
These scriptures speak for themselves and I have read them over and over! I so badly want to recognize His Presence more in my life and exude it for others to see and come to know Him!
