Then Moses said, “… your presence among us sets your people
and me apart from all other people on the earth.”
Exodus 33:16 (NLT)
Moses was weary. After being in the presence of God on the mountaintop for forty days, he returned to an obstinate, defiant, rebellious people. He was tired of leading a whining, demanding, ungrateful mob. This was not what he’d signed up for. As a matter of fact, he hadn’t chosen this lifestyle in the first place. God had hand-picked him for this thankless, arduous job.
In the face of this challenging task God set before him, Moses pleaded with God, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. How will anyone know that you look favorably on me – on me and your people – if you don’t go with us? For your presence sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.” (vs15-16). What Moses realized was that, without God, he and the Israelites were nothing. They were as dispensable as the other nations they would eventually try to annihilate. They had no value, no meaning, no purpose without God.
Has God sent you a challenge that appears too big, too difficult, too overwhelming? Do you feel weary just contemplating the future that lies ahead? Do you wish you could go back to those quiet days when your greatest worry was what to fix for supper? God never expected you to face it alone. God doesn’t dump trials in your lap then wave goodbye, saying, “Good luck. Call me if you need me.” No, God promises to walk with us through thick or thin, in good times and in bad times. His constant presence is what sets us apart. Through Him we have peace where tumult abounds. In Him, we have hope instead of despair. He personally guides us, one step at a time, and upholds us with His mighty hand.
God has promised never to leave us. Never means at no time; not in the past, not in the present, not in the future. God will never forsake those He loves. That promise comes with a lifetime guarantee.
Thought: “The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. And the harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually, even while our bodies waste away.” – J. Packer
For further reading:
- Deuteronomy 31: 6, 8
- Joshua 1:5
- Isaiah 43:2
- Matthew 28:20
Excerpt from my devotional, A Year in God’s Classroom