Even when I was growing up I made to do list. I think I made them just so I could mark things off. I would list every little thing down so I would have the satisfaction of putting that line through one more thing! I was more passionate about the list than getting the job done. I think sometimes we can be that way in our individual ministries with God.
Moses realized that the Promised Land meant nothing without God's presence. The one thing
that set Moses and the Hebrew people apart was the presence of God. Exodus 33: 15, "Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here." I need to be more like Moses and tell God I do not want to go anywhere if His presence is not with me. After all, God's presence makes all the difference. Probably most of us, most of the time, do not ask for God's direction until we have messed up.
Moses met with God and begged Him to go with them. Exodus 33: 14 1 15, "The Lord replied, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.' Then Moses said to him, 'If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.'" Moses desperately wanted God to go with them as they entered the Promised Land. God had just said, "My Presence will go with you" but Moses was saying, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here." Moses knew he was no good without God. God’s presence provided direction and comfort. God would protect them from their enemies. Moses knew he could not lead them on his own. He knew there were a lot of challenges and the enemy was strong.
Moses also knew that God provided them with joy that set them apart from all other people on earth. They had to be different from everybody else for people to "want what they had." The same is true for us today. Our careers, our money, our lifestyle, our friends mean nothing if God is not a part of it. If He is then He is blessing it. Writing this blog means very little if God is not involved in my writing. If I want these words to minister to people and have an eternal impact then I have to have God involved. I cannot do this - God can! Even the Scriptures are just words on paper until the Holy Spirit illuminates them. John 5: 39, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me." NKJV Unless the Lord is in it, it means nothing.
Moses knew God’s presence was more valuable than any thing else - including His blessing apart from His presence. Moses knew God would keep His Word and He would eventually bring them to the Promised Land. God's presence is real and we experience it when we trust that He is good and that He is guiding us every step of the way. Moses found his rest in God's presence. I like the way someone put it, "This is where his overwhelmed soul met God’s overwhelming love and faithfulness." We can trade our overwhelmed soul for His overwhelming love and faithfulness too! This presence is available to us through Jesus. HE is our strength. Psalm 46: 1, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."
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