The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
I love the story of Moses found in Exodus 33. God had called Moses to lead an entire nation of childish whiners. The job seemed too big for him. But in the midst of all of it he calls out to God and says ‘look, if you don’t go with us then I’m not going’. God reaffirms the promise of His presence and then Moses is like ‘now all I want is to see you’. God shows Himself to Moses in the only dose small enough to observe without your eyes melting out of your head.
Wherever life takes me, I am praying Moses’ same prayer to God. I don’t want to go anywhere without Him. Serving God without seeing Him is one of the most exhausting and pointless things I can think of doing with my life. I love those sweet times of getting alone with the Lord and just experiencing His love. I think they are vital to our ability to show God’s love to others.
Mac Powell tells Moses’ story with the lyrics :
When I climb down the mountain
And get back to my life
I won’t settle for ordinary things
I’m gonna follow You forever
And for all of my days
I won’t rest ’til I see You again
When you are on the mountain, it’s simple not to settle for ordinary things. But take a trek down into the valley, get back into the nitty gritty of life, and it’s easy to forget to ask God to show Himself to us. The multitude of details can overwhelm the overarching reason and goal of our existence. This is why Paul encourages believers in Heb 12 not only to run with endurance the race set before them, but to fix their eyes on Jesus.
Jesus is our goal. He is the prize. Anything less as a life purpose is weak sauce. It is too shortsighted. If Christian ministry is a goal, it can replace Jesus as the focal point of our existence. I know more than a few people that are addicted to ministry. Like Martha, they run around doing a million things and wouldn’t know what to do if God stuck them in a room alone with Himself.
If you are burned out on ministry or making an idol out of serving the Lord, maybe take a hike. Get up early and walk up a mountain just to be with Him. Ask Him to show you His glory. You might find that instead of walking around with bags under your eyes, your face shines so bright that you have to wear a veil.
Show me your glory
Majesty shines about you
I won’t go on without You Lord
