Recently, God has given me the grace, to do some intense studying of the Old Testament (OT). I am just fascinated with all that I am learning and all that God is revealing to me! And to whoever thinks that the OT is boring and irrelevant, you need to go back, and start looking at all those stories that you think you know-look again! There is so much to learn!
The more I read in the OT, the more I understand the New Testament (NT). You really can’t even begin to comprehend all that goes on in the NT until you’ve got a grip on the OT, there’s so much there! God revealed Himself in so many ways and did such awesome miracles, sign and wonders!
Did you know that God sustained people for 40 days and nights without eating or drinking anything!? (Exodus 34:28, 1 Kings 19:8) That a man called down fire from heaven to kill 100 men? (2 Kings 1:9-12) That a war was loosed in the second heaven to keep an angel from responding to a man’s prayer? (Daniel 10:12-14)
I have barely scratched the surface of the OT, and every day I am astounded by new truths about God, new stories about His provision and power. If you want to be stirred up and have your faith increased, start reading about all the miracles God did for Moses!
I have been just wrecked by one passage in particular Exodus 33:12-23, just one of Moses’ many encounters with the Lord. My heart aches over Moses words, and the cry of his heart; to know God!
“If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so that I may know you and continue to find favor with you.” (Exodus 33:13)
I am so struck by this specific encounter that he had with the Lord, so in awe of God, and jealous of Moses’ time with God. My heart aches to learn about God, to know His personality and His ways, because I want to find favor in His sight!
“The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” (Exodus 33:11)
I want to be a friend of God! That He would speak to me face to face!
I have been praying this passage back to God and seeking His face for encounters like Moses had. Even if Moses got it wrong sometimes, he really got it right here.
“The 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)
Wow! I want this to be my hearts cry too!
‘God! Don’t send me out, unless Your Presence goes with me! I want Your Presence to be what distinguishes me from everyone else!’
Moses had the right heart here. Just like Solomon, he wanted to know God above all else. But not only did he want to know God, he just wanted to be with God.
I can see his anguish as he thinks about having to leave God’s presence, his closest friend. His heart cries out “If you really like me, then stay with me! Don’t leave me alone!”
I can imagine the please smile of the Father who has worked so hard to get to this point. Not just that Moses would rely on Him for miracles, food and leadership, but that they would be friends. That Moses would truly lean on Him from the very depth of his heart, and long for His presence more than anything else.
If there’s one thing I’ve found since being down here, it’s that God’s presence is addicting! I can’t even imagine what it was like for Moses who literally saw and spoke to God face to face as a friend!
“And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”” (Exodus 33:17)
Wow. My heart turns over in my chest every time I read this. How would you like the God of heaven and earth to speak this over you? To say that He knows you by name, that He is pleased with you?
Well, He does, every day. Every time you glance His way, His heart is stirred by you.
It’s a wonderful thought!
I am grabbing hold of this reality and running with it! God knows me, He cares for me, He wants to be my closest friend and desires to be with me!
And best of all;
He knows me by name.
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