Later in the evening I revisited the pair and this time I petted the momma and cooed to her, thanking her for her efforts and attentive motherhood toward the helpless newborn. As I ruffled the fur on her neck, she pressed into my hand, leaning as far as she could without upsetting the toddler. Eager for more love. I scratched behind her ears and on her neck awhile longer. Both of us content, I whispered "bye" and went to bed.
On Tuesday, Barb Wooler spoke at the Women's Ministries event. But that is almost irrelevant. The important part is that the Holy Spirit spoke to the women at that late teaching night. A few of us sopranos and altos gathered in the graduate counseling building. We stood in one long row to sing the glories of our God and then sat to hear his praises. Here is what we learned.
In Exodus 31 our glorious God writes His law on tablets of stone. He intimately tells His law to His people making these formerly ordinary slabs of limestone precious beyond belief. And then Moses learns the Israelites have prostituted themselves to an idol. Furious, he breaks the tablets. Quick to anger, did Moses sin?
Instead of bursting into anger, God tells Moses He cannot come with the Israelites. God is slow to anger, but He knows that if He were to accompany the sin-soaked Israelites now, He would destroy them. God offers the grace of distance, and instead He will send His angel.
Now here's the cool part. Moses, the sinful leader of the sinful people (I'm feeling I have something in common with this dude!) makes a demand of God. Wait. What? Moses doesn't turn tail and walk on without God? No! Instead, Moses begs for God's presence. He says "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?"
What do you think God does? Strikes him down with lightning? Rebukes him for back talk? Refuses to even send an angel? Nope. He says "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name."
Here was Barb's point. Abba, our Father God, desires that we press into Him. Sinful, twisted, repulsive as we are, Papa cannot resist when we press in and demand His presence. This isn't arrogance, this is honesty. The one and only thing we need is our Papa's presence.
Sitting in the counseling building I recalled the night before. "Press in" reminded me of a mama cat who wanted to be petted and loved and who would lean as far as she could to get one more pat. "Press in" is what I must do when I sin or hurt or despair. "Press in."
It seems fitting that the story of God telling His people to go on without Him is in the book of Exodus. After all, exodus means a large group of people leaving and going on. But God's people must not depart without God. We must desire and demand His presence! There's nothing He'd rather give.
I went out to see the momma and the kitten again today. The kitten is now twice as big and I started to wonder what it will be named. If I get to name the kitten, I think I'll name it Exodus. God's people depart, but they must have God with them.
p.s. Here's the rest of the conversation between God and Moses.
Exodus 33:18-23
English Standard Version (ESV)
18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”
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