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Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Exodus 32-33
Matthew 24:15-35

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Exodus 33:15 (CSB): “‘If your presence does not go,’ Moses responded to him, ‘don’t make us go up from here.'”

Reflecting on God’s Word

A few days ago, I referenced Exodus 33:18, one of my favorite verses. In it, Moses, who had already experienced the glory of the Lord’s presence many times before, asked to experience it again. He sounded like a little child who had already discovered that he loved candy, standing with his face plastered to the front window of a candy store and asking for the owner to open up so he could get some more candy.

But the verse I want to focus on today is Exodus 33:15.

In Exodus 33, God spoke with Moses about what they both observed in the previous chapter. In Exodus 32, the Israelites created a golden calf and were worshipping it. The language of the chapter leads us to believe it was not any ordinary worship service but might have been a drunken orgy (Exodus 32:6, 25). God and Moses are furious!

In Exodus 33, God told Moses that He refused to go with the Israelites on their journey. His close proximity to them would cause Him to get furious when they sinned again, and He might be tempted to destroy the nation. So, it was better for the Israelites that He didn’t go with them. Instead, He was going to send “an angel.”

But in the verse I have chosen for today, we realize that an angelic escort wasn’t satisfactory to Moses. Moses wanted God’s manifest presence to go with them. Moses was clear that if he couldn’t be near God’s presence on the journey, he didn’t want to budge.

Exodus 33:15 (CSB): “‘If your presence does not go,’ Moses responded to him, ‘don’t make us go up from here.'”

Moses had already experienced the unspeakable blessings of the Lord’s presence, and he couldn’t imagine being separated from Him. He enjoyed the Lord’s presence so much that if it meant abandoning their journey to the Promised Land and remaining in the hot, dry desert to be with the Lord, then so be it.

As I reflected on Moses’ passion to experience God’s presence wherever he was, my mind was drawn to another biblical account. In the book of Judges, the prophet Samson found his pleasure in self-indulgence. Instead of chasing after God, he was chasing after what the world had to offer. So, having God’s presence close by wasn’t even something he took seriously. When God left Samson, he didn’t even know … and didn’t seem to care.

Judges 16:20 (CSB): “Then she cried, ‘Samson, the Philistines are here!’ When he awoke from his sleep, he said, ‘I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him.'”

This is a good time to do a self-examination. Are we like Moses, who craved to enjoy his God so much that he would have been content in a hot, dry desert if it meant being able to experience Him? Or are we like Samson, who was so drawn to the things of this world that he didn’t crave his God and didn’t even know when God had left him?

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to reveal any unconfessed and unresolved sin that needs to be addressed if you are to experience Him.
  • Ask God to let you enjoy Him and not merely the things from His hand.
  • Look for God working around you today. He’s always at work.

Going Deeper

If you want to read a book that God might use to help prepare your heart to enjoy Him, I would suggest:

“Brokenness, Surrender, Holiness: A Revive Our Hearts Trilogy” by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)