Experiencing God's Presence #82

Experiencing God's Presence #82

On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.

Exodus 19:16-17

From the creation of the world, as long as Mount Sinai had existed, God was there. We know because God is always everywhere. He was at Sinai when Israel’s descendants became captives in Egypt, He was there when Moses was presiding over plagues in Egypt, and He is there right now. But on the morning of the third day after newly freed Israelites prepared to meet with God, He was at this mountain differently.

This is a graphic picture of the distinction between God’s general Presence and His manifest Presence. If the Israelites at the base of the mountain had been aware of the possibilities and so inclined, they could have looked up to the heavens at night and seen them pouring out knowledge of God (Psalm 19:1-2); or they could have listened for the “gentle whisper” of the Lord (1 Kings 19:12). Those are some of our options when we want to become more aware of God’s Presence. But there are times when He is more present, when He manifests Himself uniquely, when He becomes more obvious than nature’s designs or a whispering voice. Sometimes God shows up.

We long for both kinds of experiences—the subtle awareness of an invisible God and the in-your-face encounters with a manifest God. And there’s nothing in Scripture limiting us to one or the other. Only our past experience tells us the first is more likely and therefore all we should expect. The Bible gives us every reason to pursue—boldly—encounters with the God of thunder and lightning.

God of power, I want to experience You in every way. Break me out of my expectations and show me Your glory—even today.