Seeking Him In The Wilderness 2020 ~ Sermon Series
Today I thought it would be great to talk about a sermon that was preached a couple weeks ago at church. I always like sharing little nugget of scripture but sometimes there is a whole sermon that I think needs to be talked about and this is one of them.
Seeking him in the wilderness
Exodus 33:12-23
Moses Sees the Lord’s Glory
12One day Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Take these people up to the Promised Land.’ But you haven’t told me whom you will send with me. You have told me, ‘I know you by name, and I look favorably on you.’ 13If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people.”
14The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”
15Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. 16How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”
17The Lord replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”
18Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.”
19The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. 20But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” 21The Lord continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock. 22As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.”
Take away points from the scripture:
- Even in the desert, the Lord provided for them.
- The Lord gives Moses these laws and he brings it to the people and they say they will follow the laws the Lord gives him.
- Moses goes and carves these laws on the stone up in the mountain
- While Moses up in the mountain, the people start making their own “god” because they thought that he would never return.
- In that moment Moses doesn’t know what he wants to do
Point one:
The wilderness of life is the most uncertain place
- Moses was in that place of uncertainty and he needed the Lord. He knew he needed God and he knew the scriptures etc but he didn’t see God moving or showing that.
- Even in our uncertainty when we know nothing. We know the scripture and what god feels about us but we don’t see it. In those times we need to seek God
- Moses didn’t know what to do or where to go but he still actively tried to seek the Lord, asked for direction
- The Lord will go with you, even in the uncertainty
- Pray that he only sends us if He go with us
- In times of uncertainty it’s important to tell God you don’t know something.
- What you need to ask God: “I need You to lead me through today.”
- Moses understood that it’s the presence of the lord that changes us
- We go through stuff too but the difference is that we go through all of this with the Lord. We can see things differently when His presence is with us
- We may think that we are not supposed to go through wilderness seasons but that’s not the reality. We will go through seasons of uncertainty. That we will not know where to go next or what to do next. That is OKAY.
- A season does what it’s supposed to do: you’re supposed to go through it and GROW. You’re not going to get summer without spring.
- When we go through the seasons- we grow and become new
- Moses knew he couldn’t do anything without the Lords presence
- Moses wanted the fullness of His presence. We should desire the fullness of His presence and the fullness of His glory.
Point two:
Desire His fullness
- The lord knew that Moses wouldn’t be able to handle the fullness of his glory; yet He still stayed true to His word and showed him the back of Himself.
- The Lord gives us just enough to continue in our wilderness/to know what He’s with us
- His presence changes us. We may not feel it or know it but everyone else around us knows and can see
- In our season of uncertainty, when we spend time with with the Lord, we will be able to be presence carriers for other people.
This may seem like a large chunk of stuff to take in but it was really powerful and reminded me that even in the season of uncertainty, when everything just looks scary and you don’t know what to do. It is okay to feel like that and that I shouldn’t worry because the Lord is with me and supports and loves me through everything, that it is normal and that it will get better and I will grow from it. Do you feel like this? Do you have anything that you are going through? I would love to hear about it and pray for with you and for you. Let me know below or via my social channels.
