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Moses had been walking with God for a long period of time. As he reflected on his life, it would be difficult to miss the hand of God upon his life. Because of the terror of the time, his mother hid him and from the hiding spot in the river he was pulled out by an Egyptian princess.  His life was spared.  When, because of his rash behavior he fled from his adopted home, he settled down and married and worked for his father-in-law tending sheep on the backside of the desert. Just when he imagined that his life was pretty settled, he noticed a quite unusual occurrence, a bush on fire, but the fire was not consuming the plant.  As he approached the strange display, God spoke to him.  From a burning bush God called Moses to go back and speak to pharaoh and tell him to let God’s people go!  Moses was a hesitant participant in God’s plan.  He mentioned he wasn’t much of a leader and he was not eloquent or well-spoken.  Surely God was not thinking this through.  There were others more qualified and better equipped than him. Yet, God is not mistaken, He has indeed called Moses.

So. Moses went and after the speeches and the plagues the people leave Egypt.  Pharaoh has a change of heart and pursues the children of Israel. Just as it seemed that it would end in a complete disaster, God parts the Red Sea and the people walk across on dry ground.  Moses saw water spring forth from a rock, and manna fall from the sky.  Time and time again Moses and the people saw the miracles of God.  Yet the people become discontented with God, they begin to cry out and complain and even “long for the good old days” of slavery and starvation. Such are the faulty memories of the human race.

In the midst of the discouragement Moses hears from God, and God instructs Moses to take the people on ahead to the promised land, but that He, God is not going to go with them.  He is tired of their complaining and describes them as ‘stiff-necked’ people.  God tells Moses that He will keep His word, but He will not go lest He does something to His unruly people.

Moses plea is simple, ‘God if you don’t go with us, I am not going either.’

What might happen today if we followed Moses example and said, ‘God I am not going to work tomorrow if you don’t go with me?’  In a world where it is easy to have an inflated opinion of one’s self, we need to be reminded that we must have the presence and power of God in our lives.

Moses knew that this job of leading the people was bigger than he was, and that without the presence of God he was doomed for failure. I have spent a life time planning and strategizing and I believe in being prepared and organized.  We must get up each day and have a plan.  So, please do not hear me saying throw planning and preparation out the window.  But, please hear me, it really does not matter how much planning and resources and people we have on our side.  If God does not go with us into the tomorrows of our lives, there is no hope for any of us!

The good news is He has promised to go with us and to fill us with His Spirit and empower us for life and service.  It has once again been made plain to me, if all we have are plans and procedures we will not make it or accomplish His purpose for our lives.  Later in the Thirty-third chapter of Exodus, Moses offers a heartfelt cry that should resonate with all of us: “show us your glory.”  Today Lord we need the glory of your presence!  Break in wherever we are and whatever we are doing and come Holy Spirit we need You!  Show us your glory in our church, show us your glory in our homes, show us your glory in every area of our lives. May our prayer today be:  “If you don’t go with us we are not going either!  Show us your glory!”

 

My friend my prayer for you is that God will show His glory to you today!

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