Experiencing God's Presence #81

Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God.

Exodus 19:3

Moses has made demands in Pharaoh’s courts, declared plagues upon the country, suffered harsh criticism and complaints from his own people, and stood at the brink of humiliating slaughter at the edge of the Red Sea. And God has been with him, showing up most dramatically in the uncomfortable pinch between the sea and a pursuing army. Now, on the safe side of the sea, God beckons him up the mountain to witness the cloud of glory, the thundering voice, smoke and fire, and a long and loud horn blast from close range. The people below will die if they get too close. Moses won’t. God has invited him.

We see a model of the human-divine relationship in this picture. God invites, we come up, He comes down, and we experience Him in the very disorienting environment of His Presence. This God who often hides Himself chooses to reveal Himself to those who will respond to Him. Most people never experience lightning and thunder like Moses did, but God has ways of making His Presence known.

How much of this relationship is our “going up,” and how much is His “coming down”? Both are essential. We can ascend many mountains without ever meeting Him, and He can approach many people who never notice Him. We have our part, and He has His. We accept the invitation and start up the mountain; He comes on His terms and meets us as He chooses. When those bilateral efforts coincide, we encounter Him. But the mystery as to when and how that happens is deep.

Determine to accept any whisper of an invitation to go up and meet God. Err on the side of readiness. It’s always better to seek Him in all seasons than to not seek Him when He wants to be found.

Lord, I want to respond every time I sense Your invitation, even when my senses might be mistaken. If there’s a hint of a possibility of a deep encounter with You, I choose to act on that hint. And I know that sooner or later, You will make Your Presence known.

From the book