Devotional: Seeking God's Presence

December 2nd, 2024
by Pastor Paul Boekell

Exodus 33:12–23 Moses said to the LORD, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

And the LORD said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” [18] Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” (ESV)

Moses' earnest desire for God's presence reminds us of our deepest need - to be with God. In a world full of distractions and false promises, let's cultivate a heart that says, "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring me up from here" (Exodus 33:15). Reflect on areas of your life where you may be moving forward without seeking God's presence. How can you intentionally invite God into every aspect of your day? Remember, true hope and fulfillment come not from circumstances, but from experiencing the real presence of the living God.

Posted in Sermon Devotionals