Earlier in the summer I wrote this post where I explored a sentiment that many people experience, whether they voice it or not. ‘Does God even care about me?”
When times are good, it is not difficult to be convinced of God’s care and love. Your marriage is solid, your children are obedient, the dog is house-trained, and the every stoplight turns green just as you reach it. Life is good!
Sometimes, however, life does not feel good. In fact, life can be pretty bad sometimes? Those no good, very bad days can be because of our own poor decisions, or the bad can just spill out onto us when another person makes a crummy decision. Either way, a bad day stinks and can seem to be unending.
the transmission dies on the car,
the kid has a meltdown in Walmart,
your husband had to work late….again…and dinner is cold,
the doctor’s office called and asked you to come in right away,
the bank sent you a notice about a check that bounced,
the washer flooded the basement,
and on and on it goes.
Today, I want to take you to a magnificent portion of Scripture that provides stunning evidence that God cares deeply about us.
Remember Moses? The man chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of captivity? The man that the Bible says talked to God as a friend. The guy who saw oceans parted and armies drowned. Well, he had stinky days, too.
In Exodus 32 and 33 Moses has been upon Mount Sinai visiting with God. Long story short, He left his brother Aaron in charge of the Israelites at the base of the mountain. Not a good plan! When he comes back to camp, he finds the people worshipping a golden calf. What?!
God tells Moses that His holy patience has run out with the Israelites, and that He will not go with them into the Promised Land. This was devastating to Moses. He pled with God to change His mind, and ultimately, the Lord did because He esteemed Moses.
Moses needed reassurance that God still loved him. You and I know this need. After a fight with your husband it is good to feel his arms around you, assuring you of his love for you, isn’t it?
Well, after such a rotten day, Moses needed to feel the love from God, so he asked God to see His glory in Exodus 33:18. God, in a beautiful act of love and grace toward Moses told him that He would honor Moses’ request. Moses would see the glory of God.
Let’s listen in on this amazing conversation.
Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” Exodus 33: 21-23 (NIV)
Moses scrambled to get to the appointed rock, eager to see the glory of God, eager for his stinky day to get better. Suddenly, the world goes dark. He cannot see a thing.
NO!! Just when Moses thought he would see God’s glory and feel His love, everything goes dark. He panics. The disappointment sets in, and He tries to figure out what happened.
Then, just as suddenly as the darkness came, it was replaced with glorious, magnificent light. The presence of the Lord was thick, and His glory was all around. God had kept His promise.
What is the lesson for you and me in this story?
When our world goes dark, we tend to think that we are being punished, or that God has forgotten about us? Could it be that in those times of sudden darkness and pain that God has placed us a cleft in the rock and He has His holy hand over us to hide us and protect us? Perhaps if we simply wait and trust, God will lift His hand and we will see the glory of God as never before.
Wait for it, friend. God’s heart is tender toward you. It may be dark now, but God’s glory will be revealed in your situation.
