Exodus 33: 15 - 17
From verse 15 ... Moses is absolutely sure that he does not want to move at all unless the Presence of the Lord goes with them. How wise he was - to beg God not to send them forward without His Presence. He recognized the absolute necessity of it. Do I? Or do I still believe that I can muddle along on my own? Then I have to ask myself: Is there anywhere that I go (either physically or mentally) where I would not want the Presence of the Lord with me? If I answer, yes ... I would rather the Lord not be with me when I am ______________, then I have some soul-searching to do! And, of course, it is folly to think that you, as a Spirit-indwelt believer, go anywhere without the Lord. He is with you ... always ... even to the end of the age. He goes where you go ... So I guess the appropriate question for us is: Am I embarrassed knowing the Lord is with me at ___________? Don't go anywhere without Him!
It is the Presence of the Lord that distinguishes us - that sets us apart as believers. Moses knew that (verse 16). How does God's presence in your life distinguish you from others? As a woman? As an American? The distinguishing mark of the Lord is love. (He told us to leave the judgment stuff to Him.) It requires His presence to love well - not those that you naturally love - those that you do not! As I think about responding to this day's work ... I think I want to love more - both vertically, loving God with more of me, and horizontally, loving those around me better. And that, my friends, will definitely take the Presence of the Lord to accomplish!
Let that Presence be your distinguishing "birthmark"!
I think it is interesting that not only does Moses not want to go without God, he also does not want any substitutes for Him either. We have so many ways of trying to work out a substitute for God in our lives: entertainment, drugs, sex, self-help books, etc. when all we really need is to stick with Him.
ReplyDeleteI love your observation about substitutes. We run to so many things to fill that hole inside us. And most are counterfiet. One writer has spoken about the "God-shaped hole" inside us that only can be filled by the Presence.
ReplyDeleteYes it was Blaise Pascal, and I love that quote: “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.”
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