Editor’s note: Yesterday, we shared a devotion by Sarah Freymuth from Let in the Light by The Proverbs 31 Ministry Team. You can read it here and then read today’s devotion by Wendy Blight.
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The appearance of the Lord’s glory to the Israelites was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop. — Exodus 24:17
Nervousness crept into my heart as my kids and I hopped in the car to begin our long journey from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Dallas, Texas, without my husband. As I backed down the driveway, we prayed for God to be with us, go before us, and show us glimpses of His presence and glory along the way.
Because of the long trip ahead of us, I longed to know that God’s presence was near. In a way, we were like the Israelites who needed to know the same thing during their journey through the wilderness. In Exodus 24, the Israelites were six months into their journey when Moses led the elders up Mount Sinai.
Upon arrival, “they saw the God of Israel. Beneath His feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself” (v. 10).
A couple of verses later, God invited Moses alone to ascend farther up the mountain:
Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there so that I may give you the stone tablets with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction. — v. 12
Reread God’s words to Moses:
Come up... to Me.
Stay... with Me.
I will give you... My Word.
The words we read a few verses later inspire awe and wonder:
When Moses went up the mountain, the cloud covered it. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day He called to Moses from the cloud. The appearance of the Lord’s glory to the Israelites was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop. — vv. 15–17
What a sight it must have been! The glory of the Lord settled on the mountain, visible to all the Israelites. God revealed Himself through the light... His glory was like a consuming fire.
Each step of the journey, God gave Moses glimpses of His glory (the burning bush, pillars of fire and cloud). And here God invited Moses to step into His very presence and glory.
Because of Jesus, we receive this same invitation.
My child, come meet with Me.
Come, stay with Me.
I will give you My Word.
The more you and I meet with God, the more we receive from Him, the more His Spirit fills us and His glory shines through us to be His light to this dark world. Hallelujah!
As for our trip to Dallas, God answered our prayers and showed us glimpses of His presence and glory. The invisible became visible. The day brought cloudless, clear blue skies, but every few hours, one small, puffy white cloud amazingly appeared. Sometimes resting in a tree. Other times sitting atop a hill or a house. When we finally pulled into my friend’s driveway, tears came as we celebrated our little clouds along the way, giving us sweet glimpses of God’s presence and glory.
Oh, friend, never forget that the same God who met Moses on the mountain, who met my family in the car, is the same God waiting to meet with you!
JOURNAL PROMPT
Accept God’s invitation. Find a quiet place to “come” and “be” with God. Stay with Him. Invite Him to show you His light through glimpses of His presence and glory. If you’re not sure how to begin, I’m sharing my prayer with you:
Father, I want to come and be with You to experience more of You. Nurture in me a praying heart that seeks You first in all things. Give me a desire for more of Your presence. Open my eyes to see more of Your glory. Give me ears to hear Your Word when You speak to me. Lord, throughout my day, show me precious glimpses of Your presence and glory. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
~ Wendy Blight
Excerpted with permission from Let in the Light by The Proverbs 31 Ministry Team, copyright Proverbs 31 Ministries.
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Your Turn
Do you long to come and be with Jesus and hear from Him? If you ask Him to see more of His glory and hear His voice, He will reveal Himself to you! ~ Devotionals Daily