Come Follow Me – April 20–26. Exodus 19–34. Face Me.
When the Lord invited the Israelites to prepare themselves and meet Him, they were afraid and stepped back, asking Moses to go in their place.
Let's talk scripture. Do you have the desire to come closer to God, but don't know how? Moses went up to the mountain and spoke with God face to face. And then the Lord invited the people to come too to prepare themselves to meet him. But when the moment came, they were afraid and asked Moses to go in their place. They didn't feel ready to face God. And honestly, that made me think of something small but meaningful.
When my daughter was about four, I was doing her hair, brushing the back, and I said, "Face me." Because I wanted her to turn around. She didn't move. And I said it again, "Face me." Still nothing. So, I gently took her by the shoulders and her turned her towards me and she just looked confused. We repeated this several times and I was frustrated because I didn't understand why she wasn't turning around to face me.
Finally, I realized she didn't understand what I meant. To her, I was just saying face and me. She didn't know I was asking her to turn toward me. And I realized sometimes that's us with God. He invites us to come closer to face him, but we don't always know how. And sometimes we don't feel ready. But here's what Exodus teaches us. Sacred experiences require preparation. The Lord asked the people to sanctify themselves before meeting him.
And then he gave them the ten commandments, not to control them, but to prepare them. Because this is how we face God. We prepare and we choose to turn toward him. Because sin is turning away from God and repentance is turning back toward him. And when we see that in this story, while Moses was gone, the people grew impatient. They felt afraid. So they made a golden calf. They turned away.
But even then, God didn't give up on them. Moses pleaded for them. He spoke with God face to face like a friend, and the Lord showed mercy. He renewed the covenant and invited them back because that's who he is. Preparation always comes before powerful spiritual experiences. So, if you've ever felt like, I don't know how to face God, maybe it's simpler than we think. He's gently saying to us, face me.
Turn toward him. Keep his commandments. Come a little closer each day. And just like a loving parent, he will guide you until you understand exactly what it means.
