"Strength for the Journey"...

This week I shared with my staff during our devotional time what I consider to be one of Israel's pivotal moments in their journey through the wilderness in the hope of making it to the Land of Promise. The encounter is recorded in Exodus 33, where, due to their pride and disobedience, God has chosen to distance Himself from His people. As a symbolic gesture to demonstrate just how wicked the people had become, Moses moves the tent that has served as a meeting place between himself and God outside the camp (Ex. 33:7-11; Num. 12:4-8). Moses wants Israel to see that there is no room for God if they are determined to remain a people whose hearts are full of pride. God was demonstrating through His servant Moses that Israel's key to successfully making it through their wilderness trek was their utter dependence on His presence going with them.  And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."  Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here." (Exodus 33:14-15).

It's important to note that the rest that God speaks of here is a byproduct of His presence being in our lives. The rest, in simple terms, is the assurance that our success in meeting the challenges that we encounter along life's journey is not going to be met in our own strength but only through the strength of the Lord. In other words, God's presence is His guarantee of our Strength for the Journey.

The challenges that await us in these final days are daunting ones indeed. We cannot meet them in our own strength. Our response, then, should not be to attempt to accomplish God's work without Him, but to "rest" in the assurance that His presence will be with us. If we are willing, as was Israel, to humble ourselves and trust in God to provide us with His strength for our journey, He will not disappoint us.