So be read in the morning [to] present yourself to Me.
Exodus 34:2
Are You Presentable?
Moses was discouraged. Big time. For forty days he had lived on a mountain and experienced the presence of God. Then he walked to the valley and reality slapped him square in the face. The people he was expected to lead-God's chosen people-were engaged in heathen worship rites dancing around a golden calf. Dreams crumbled around him and hope evaporated.
Maybe you have been there, too. Everything is going along well, then suddenly life snaps and all the work, prayer and effort you've invested appears empty. Like Moses, the problem may not even be your fault. It was created by other people with heads and hearts like stone!
What happens then? How do you rekindle hope? How do you start again?
Moses started with a reality check. He identified specific sins and held individuals responsible for their own actions. But the story doesn't end there. Identifying sin and placing responsibility where it belongs is only a partial solution. In the end, some way must be found to forge a new beginning.
Like all true beginnings, Moses found this one started with God. After the sin, after the judgment, after the repentance, this man of God began to pray. And, when he did, God offered an invitation: "Be ready in the morning, [to] present yourself to Me."
The call to "present" before God is echoed several times in the Old Testament. All of Israel was to present themselves at certain times of the year and on rare occasions and on other occasions God called individuals before Him one at a time. These invitations might come directly from God, but most often a third party told others the good-and sometimes terrifying-news: "Present yourself!"
The New Testament, also, has invitations to present before God. Paul tells Christians, "Present your bodies . . . holy, acceptable to God." [1] And, like the call to Moses, our "presenting" involves preparation.
First, our presenting before God must be intentional. It's not thoughtless. It doesn't happen automatically. We know what's going on and set aside time in prayer to purposefully come before our Sovereign.
As we do, we dare not present before a holy God unless we, too, are holy and as far as we are conscious of specific sins, each has been confessed. Our sins are under the blood of Christ. We have turned from them and we approach God with clean hands.
We also approach expectantly [2]. We believe our presenting will change something. We look for and depend on a new beginning. That beginning may be a fresh start toward old goals. When Moses presented himself, the new beginning was a reinstatement of the same dream that had been lost. Yet, our Sovereign is not bound by the past and whatever His new beginning it will be good.
Discouraged? Need a fresh start? Have your dreams crumbled and hope evaporated? Present yourself to God. Wait with clean hands before Him. Expect the best. You may find your adventure is just beginning.
