Pursuing Presence

Exodus 33 tells us that as the children of Israel traveled through the wilderness and set up camp, Moses would set up a tent away from the others. That’s where he would go to meet with God. When he went out there, it says that everyone else stood in front of their tents to watch him go into God’s presence. Verse 11 says, “Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting” (NLT) These two men regularly pursued God’s presence.

You can’t be a spectator like all the other Israelites. Christianity is about having a relationship with God. You can’t have it vicariously through other people who are willing to go into God’s presence while you stand far off. Imagine having a relationship with someone where you’re never in each others presence. Moses was in God’s presence constantly and yet he wanted more. In verse 18, Moses asked to see more of God’s presence than he had ever seen. He knew there was more of God than he had come to know, and he wanted to see more. God granted his request as He placed Moses in the cleft of the rock and passed by.

James 4:8 says, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” That’s a promises to you and I. If we will pursue His presence and draw near to Him, He will draw near to us and reveal more of Himself to us. Drawing near requires a hunger, a willingness to prioritize our relationship with Him and an intentionality to prioritize our relationship. We can’t afford to stand and watch as others go in. Like Joshua, we must stay even when others leave. God used both Moses and Joshua in a mighty way because they pursued God’s presence. They developed a relationship with Him where they spoke regularly as with a friend. What will you do differently to pursue God’s presence and prioritize your relationship with Him? The closer you go to God, the closer He will come to you.

Photo by Pablo Heimplatz on Unsplash