Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. And the glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud. (Exodus 24:15-16 NLT)
In Exodus 24, God instructed Moses to take Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy of the elders and climb the mountain. Moses did as he was instructed and the men began to climb the mountain the next morning. At some point during the climb, these men saw God in the distance standing higher up on the mountain. Verse 11 says, "He did not destroy them. In fact they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in His presence" (NLT). How awesome does that sound, seeing God's face and dining with Him there. One would think that this would be the highlight of the journey but there was more... at least for Moses. God told Moses something similar to what He told John in Revelation 4:1. He said in verse 12, "Come up here! Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there!" The King James Version says, "Come up to Me into the mount, and BE THERE!" Just be there. How many times has God asked this of us. "Come to Me and just be there. Wait for ME! Rest in My Presence. Just sit. Be still. Don't do anything. Just be there. Be in the moment. Wait until I show up."
God had something more in mind for Moses and that thing required Moses to be alone with Him. While the others started the journey, Moses was the only one allowed to go higher. Friends, there are moments in our journey with Christ where our loved ones will not be able to go the entire distance with us. God will sometimes isolate you to talk to you and give you instructions or strategies that can bring the lost to Him. These plans, instructions or strategies may even save nations. God called Moses up to a higher level, closer to where He stood and Moses did as God said. He climbed up the mountain and a cloud covered the mountain. Verse 16 says, "the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai and the cloud covered it for six days." Moses waited there for six days. Could you imagine that? It wasn't like Moses had a comfortable bed to lay on or a cushioned seat to sit on. He sat and laid on the cold, damp ground and waited. On the seventh day, God called Moses and he entered into the cloud. There he stayed for forty days and forty nights.
This chapter touched me because I find myself in a place of waiting on God for His next set of instructions but while in this waiting season, I stopped doing the necessary things that would keep me focused like praying in the secret place, taking the time to study His word and fasting. Because I didn't take the time to maintain or even improve my relationship with God, I began losing my connection. Before I knew it, I had drifted away from where I was even a month ago. It was simply because I grew weary of waiting. However, our God is so faithful, that in spite of my failures, He still continued to used me on multiple occasions to speak to others on His behalf.
Today, God revealed to me that Moses waited six days for the cloud but he was IN the cloud for forty days and nights. The amount of time that he waited was NOTHING compared to what happened when the wait is over. I believe that God is saying that very same thing to us. "The amount of time that you have been waiting is NOTHING compared to what will come when your wait is over." I don't know what Moses did in those six days that he waited outside the cloud but I do believe that what happened after the wait was worth it all. To the people at the foot of the mountain, the mountaintop looked like a consuming fire (vs. 17). Moses was IN that cloud of FIRE! The men who began the climb with Moses saw God from a distance. Moses saw Him close up AND spoke with Him. When you wait on God, He will not only give you instructions and strategies. He will give you HIMSELF!
I want what Moses received after his time of waiting. I want to be IN the cloud with God so much so that when others look at me they see a consuming fire. I will wait six hour, days, months, years as long as it results with me seeing God's face and being surrounded by the cloud of His glory. Today, I repent of what I have done that caused me to pull away from Christ and I recommit myself to His service. I will wait for whatever comes next!
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