Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 19 before reading the devotional below.
Two months is a long time in the desert. I can’t imagine what the Israelites might have thought and felt if they had known they still had 39 years and 10 months to go on their wilderness trek. Watching God’s plans unfold, and watching the impact of people’s choices in delaying God’s plans, is sometimes excruciating even when you know the ending. (And let’s not forget that it was here in this very wilderness that Moses spent about 40 years being a shepherd before God even told him about his real life purpose…)
Equally heartbreaking in this story is seeing the huge distance between God and his people. Moses has to act as an intermediary, and even as this chosen messenger he has to climb to the top of a mountain to meet with God. The people have to cleanse themselves before they can interact with the cloud that protects them from interacting with God’s actual presence. At that time in history, even God’s own people couldn’t get too close.
Here’s your freedom for today: you are free to dwell in the presence of God with no barriers. Jesus’ life on earth, death on the cross, resurrection, and return to heaven all paved the way for him to change history forever by sending his Holy Spirit. The divide between God and his people is gone. Every believer can speak directly with God — one spirit to the Spirit. When I remember that this type of intimacy with God was not always possible, it drives me to sit in God’s presence even more. Take a moment today to thank God for giving you the Holy Spirit. Sit with him and bask in the wonder of his presence (and if you feel like climbing a mountain to do it, go ahead, but it’s no longer a requirement…)