PANTING FOR GOD’S PRESENCE

“Then he said to Him, “If YOUR PRESENCE does not go with us, do not bring us up from here” – Exodus 33:15

Panting for Perfection is PANTING for GOD’S PRESENCE: “And he said, “MY PRESENCE will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then he said to Him, “If YOUR PRESENCE does not go with us, do not bring us up from here” (Exo.33: 14-15). Here, Moses was interceding for God’s people after the golden calf episode. God promised to send an angel to bring them into the land (v.2). But Moses pleaded that he didn’t want any substitute angel; He wanted God’s Presence. He knew the Promise and Value of His Presence. He had protected Israel from the pursuing Egyptians at the Red Sea and the attacking Amalekites (Exo. 14; 17:8-16). He had provided water for their thirst and manna for their hunger (Exo.16, 17:3-7). He had guided them through trackless wilderness by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night (Exo.13:21).

Moses knew the Demands of God’s Presence: to be a holy people: “So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth” (v.16b) – serving no other gods. God also revealed the reward of His Presence: “I will give you REST”! He would bring them into their Promised Land of Rest. Eternally, every soul that sleeps in Christ finds rest. As the hymn says: “Safe in the arms of Jesus, safely my soul shall rest”! In contrast, “the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked” (Isa.57: 20-21). For the Believer in Christ, Rest is a present reality: “Come to Me…and I will give you rest" (Mt.10:28).

Moses knew how foolish it is to try to live apart from God; it is like inviting disaster! However, His Presence must be desired to be experienced: “The Lord is with you while you’re with Him…” (2Chr.15:2a). God will not force Himself or barge His way into our lives. He respects our capacity to choose. King David also panted for God’s Presence: “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple” (Psa.27:4). He longed passionately to be with God in the Temple – worshipping in His Presence: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so PANTS my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Psa.42:1-2).

God offered Moses something better than guidance; He promised to be their Guide, to accompany them, to be with them. He is not some God that only lives in a heavenly domain, but One who chose to come down and live with and in His people – Emmanuel! Like Moses and David, we must crave God’s Presence. If we want to know His will, we must know Him. His guidance hinges on relationship. And the rewards of the relationship are stupendous:

I have a Companion: “My Presence will go with you” (v.14). Regardless of my condition or situation, God is with me! The God of the universe walks with me. He is my Companion, my Friend. The whole world may walk out on me; God never will!

I will experience Rest: “…and I will give you rest” (v.14). This rest is a calmness and security that comes through walking with God, and touches the core of my being. It is not like an occasional vacation or holiday or a mere cessation of activity, struggle, or of journey. Rest is a testimony of trust!

I am distinguished – holy – set apart in Distinction for God’s Glory (v.16).

I am known by God: “…I know you by name” (v.17): Oh, what a wonder! The Creator of the universe calls me by name!

These can be true of every believer in Christ as we hunger for God’s Presence in our personal and corporate worship lives!