Moses had it right when he refused to budge from the Mountain of God without assurances that God's presence would continue to go with him.
In Exodus 33:3, God gives Moses the worst possible news: God tells Moses that they are to go into the Promised Land, but God is not coming with them because he's likely to kill them on the way because of their rebellious ways. (And, quite frankly, he does. Many die in rebellions along the way and an entire generation dies in the desert while they wander before the younger generation actually takes the land.) This time, the people are concerned by these words and send Moses to negotiate with God. Everyone knows that without God's presence going with them, it will be impossible to succeed.
Then Moses said to him, “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 with 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?” - Exodus 33:15-16
And there you have the crux of the issue...if God's presence is not with us, then what distinguishes us from everyone else? Answer: NOTHING. It is the presence of God that makes us who we are. This is our identity: a people whose holy God dwells with his holy people. It took God laying aside His privileges as God to become a man—and to die in a once-for-all masterful move of redemption—to make this finally possible. Now, anyone who accepts this redemption receives a new identity in Christ: a new Creation that is made holy by the presence of the Holy Spirit who resides within us.
Christians are simply those who are being transformed into the image of Christ by the residing presence of God. They walk continuously in the revelation of the God Who Is Present.
I've been digging into this revelation of the God Who Is Present because of those around me who are suffering. Suffering reveals the God Who Is Present.
He is, at all times, simultaneously present in the past and the future—redeeming the first and waiting for us with victory in the second. This revelation changes how we see our past, freeing us from pain and sin. This revelation changes how we see our future, freeing us from the fear of the unknown (or even of what is known, since the Bible promises suffering in the last days for those who follow Christ).
We can celebrate the God who is present in the past and future, but we shouldn't skip the here and now. I have noticed that many I speak with seem to be bound by the past, afraid of the future, AND full of fear in this present age. I meet very few people who can sit quietly present. Most people are chased by the past and reaching into the future or reaching for the past and always thinking or doing something for the future.
But here in the present, to thrive in the daily difficulties and the daily joy, we must find our "very present help."
In my last blog post, I shared about the spirit-led warrior who is led from the Mountain of God, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land...to war. God commanded the Israelites to go, saying he wouldn't come with them. But because Moses knew that this was not possible, he interceded and asked God to come with them anyway. God would certainly kill a portion of them, but Moses trusted God would bring a remnant safely to the Promised Land. God is pleased with Moses' confidence in the goodness of God and even makes His goodness pass before Moses in a singular, revelatory event that never happens again. God's presence continues to go with Israel.
There are many presence-based promises in the Bible, all of which are for us today because the God Who Is Present does not change and is always present. He exists outside the bounds of time, yet fills all of time at the same time. When He spoke those promises, He spoke them in the past and the present and the future at the same time. (For God, there is only an eternal NOW.) For those of us who are suffering now, these promises are life-giving.
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. - Psalm 121:4-7 (NIV)
This is the God who is present.
God said to Moses, "I am that I am." And he said, "You must say this to the Israelites, 'I am has sent me to you.'" - Exodus 3:14 (NET)
This is the God who is fully present.
"...And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19 (ESV)
This is the God who is always present.
For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. - Psalm 32:7 (NLT)
This is the God who is present in our troubles.
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. - Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV)
This is the God who is present for the righteous.
As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. - Psalm 42:1 (NLT)
This is the God whose presence makes us long for more.
While we face weakness, suffering, persecution, loss, injustice, hatred, scarcity, lack, and whatever else this life brings, we must cling to whatever it is in the nature of God that is the answer to our lack. His nature is on hand, made available to us in our time of need...this is GRACE. This is a God who is sticks closer than a brother, making Himself available, in our need. He is El Shaddai, and out of his mountain of abundance, he IS our sufficiency.
Grace makes himself present.
From Jesus Image, a service with El Shaddai and You Are My Hiding Place worship: https://youtu.be/eX4TRwELUVg?si=4vkiBUEopNeiKflY
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