Focus

As you quiet yourself for this brief time, be willing to be open to God, however that may take place.

Read

Exodus 24:12-18 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. To the elders he had said, “Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.”
Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

Reflect

Living in East Tennessee, I love being near mountains. I love seeing mountains from my own backyard when the trees are bare in the winter. I love attending church camp on one of the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. And, of course, I love a good hike on a mountain trail in the fresh mountain air. There is something majestic about being on top of a mountain. Something about walking through the woods, winding around mountain streams, and pausing to take in the views causes me to draw my focus on raw creation around me, and thus focus on the Creator. When I hike up a mountain, I often find myself somehow drawing closer to God.

Indeed, that is the case for Moses. God calls Moses, and Moses follows God’s call up the mountain, even through what he cannot see. I think there’s something there that speaks to following God’s call at all. When we follow God’s call, we find ourselves wandering into what we cannot see. We don’t know exactly what the path before us looks like, for the path is clouded. Yet, if we continue to follow, we often find our souls nourished and our spirits refreshed, for we’ve been nearer to God – much like how I feel after a mountain hike. May we all continue to trust God enough to follow even through what we cannot see or anticipate. And may we know and celebrate the joy and nourishment that comes from answering God’s call.

Pray

Faithful God, we sure do like knowing where we’re headed and what’s to come. I pray we don’t let uncertainty prevent us from following You when You call. May we strengthen our trust in You, that when You call, You neither trick nor abandon us along the way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Go with God!