God's presence

I've been reading through the Old Testament for a while now, and have spent a lot of time in Exodus recently trying to read between the lines and pull God's wisdom out of the pages. I highly suggest it to everyone, because I'm learning more and more everyday, just how much the Old Testament really has about God's power and provision for our lives. It is so necessary for us to dig deep into the Words God has written for us and not just skip over it because it is ancient years old. What I found today was Exodus 24, verses 15-18, the last few verses in the chapter.

Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

The presence of God was obviously with Moses on Mount Sinai. This verse mentions that a cloud covered the mountain for six days before Moses even hiked up. Can you imagine being at the bottom of this huge mountain with a heavy cloud covering it, and God calls you from the cloud and tells you to start hiking? I would be scared to death of what could possibly be in that cloud. Moses could not even see what was on the mountain. He could be climbing to his death, for all he knew, right?

The people of Israel saw the whole thing go down. They can see the cloud, but when the Lord calls to Moses and tells him to start hiking, they can see something else too. They don't see the Lord talking to Moses, but they see God's glory alright. They see the glory of the Lord, and you know what it looks like? A fire that is consuming all of the mountain. This cloud and this fire on the mountain were tools that God used. They served as evidence to the people that God's presence was with Moses.

I can only imagine what the people thought as the fire was burning the mountain and Moses started to hike up that thing. They probably thought he was crazy, and perhaps they were scared that their leader was going to be consumed in the fire of God's glory and they'd never see him again. God was so real to them and so powerful to them that they knew he could do anything with Moses. I know that they must have been afraid for Him to go up there. God's presence was a serious deal and it meant a lot to them all.

God's presence should be with all of us, too. God's glory and presence was with Moses because in previous chapters he prayed for it. Moses was consistently seeking to please God in all that he attempted to do because he knew the severity of it. He knew that God's presence was serious and that he needed it to consume his life. God's presence can go with all of us too if we are seeking it and striving to remain focused on Him. Moses is our example. We see in these verses how the presence of God was with Him, and the Lord showed the people evidence of this by burning that fire on the mountain. So what is the evidence that God leaves behind us? If God's presence is among us, there should be evidence of it in our own lives too.

God may not hover a cloud over you as His presence goes with you in life, and He may not ask you to climb a mountain that looks like it is burning. But God's presence should be with you everywhere, and He will go with you if you continue to seek Him. God always leaves proof of Himself in everything, like His fingerprints are all over this Earth in His creation. So think about this:

Are you taking Him seriously?
Is there evidence of God's presence in your life?
What is it?