The Presence: 21 Day Devotional: Day 5

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”  Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”
Exodus 33:14-15  NIV

Exodus 33

In Exodus 33,  Moses and the Israelites are in the wilderness. The Israelites spent most of their time there complaining and being stubborn. The Lord tells Moses that He may end up destroying them because of this, so He will make a way to give the Israelites exactly what they want, to enter the Promised Land! He would send an angel to drive out the people that inhabited their land. They can finally get out of the wilderness and into the land flowing with milk and honey. This opportunity was more than just an address change, this was the opportunity for a better life. There was however one condition, they could move on but, the Lord would not go with them.

When presented with the opportunity to get what they wanted, the Israelites mourned at the idea that God would not go with them. Moses replied, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” Why wouldn’t they go? Because they understood the importance of God’s presence. They chose to stay where they were, rather than getting what they wanted. They knew that even in the discomfort of the wilderness, being in the Lord’s presence was more important than escaping their present situation.