¹³ Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” ¹⁴ And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.”  Exodus 33:13-14

Moses was truly a man of God.  When God withdrew Himself from the camp of Israel, Moses quickly inquired of the Lord to reverse His course.  It is easy to praise Moses for taking the right course of action.  Understand, he did not have to intercede for the people.  The Bible is full of folks who took the wrong course and neglected their higher calling. I like this about Scripture.  The Bible shows people’s good choices and their bad choices.  I like knowing people have flaws and warts.  In this passage though we have the anatomy of a good decision.

There is an important principle here we can learn from Moses’ life…Do not live or move without the presence and blessing of God.  Does this sound simple?  It is very simple.  Why settle for less of God’s presence, when you can have a lot more of the Lord in your life?  When the Lord began to withdraw His presence, Moses countered with three petitions of His own.  I personally believe we can ask the Lord for these same three things.

• Teach Me Your Ways
• Let Me Know You
• Allow Me To Live In Your Favor

It is not like Moses had never experienced the Lord along these same lines.  Moses wanted to go deeper in His relationship with God.  He wanted more!  There is an unspoken truth here in Moses’ life and in our lives too.  If we settle with what we have already experienced with God, we cannot grow further in the Lord.  Settling means we have become satisfied.  As great as Moses’ experiences had been, he still wanted more of God.  Think about it…Moses heard God speak from a burning bush.  He witnessed the ten plagues poured out on the Egyptians.  He watched the Red Sea divide and afterward swallow up the Egyptian army.  While God’s finger carved out the Ten Commandments, Moses stood by to record the event.  Every one of these events was life changing on its own.  Still, Moses wanted a deeper walk with God.

If Moses felt the need to grow deeper in the ways of God, should we seek anything less?  The question is not whether or not God is willing to reveal more of Himself to us.  The Bible is full of verses offering these types of promises.  The real question is whether we will follow Moses’ lead and ask the Lord for more of His presence.  I encourage you as I encourage myself…seek the face of the Father and ask Him for more of His presence.  You just might hear these words, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Blessings,

Pastor