Exodus 33:12-23
Your Story
Talk about a time when you felt the presence of the Lord with you.
My Story and the Bible Story
My grandfather fought in the Korean War. In fact, he almost died in that war. In the few times that he ever talked about it, he told us that after he had been wounded, when he thought he was dying, he saw an angel who told him it wasn’t his time yet, that he wasn’t going to die that day. Then one of his fellow soldiers picked him up and carried him to safety. My grandfather spent almost a year in the hospital, but he survived. And on that day, he knew God was with him. He knew God was watching over him even in the midst of war. That story always reminds me that no matter what, God is there with us. Sometimes we need to be reminded of God’s presence. In Exodus, Moses needed a reminder that God was with him.
Read Exodus 33:12-23.
Moses was asking for the presence of the Lord. He wanted to make sure he and the people were doing the right thing, and he knew that if the Lord’s presence were with them, they would succeed. The only way they would be able to make it through the wilderness was with God beside them. Moses also wanted to see God. He wanted to know the One he was talking to. Although Moses was only able to see God’s back, his face still glowed from being in the presence of God (Exod 34:29). He was radiant from God’s presence.
Although we have never seen the Lord, the Lord’s presence still changes us. Like God said to Moses, God has mercy and compassion on us. God gives us grace. When we are in God’s presence, God gives us rest. We find peace. We feel loved. And we know that God will never leave us. My grandfather felt the presence of God on that battlefield so long ago. His life was changed because of the presence of God. When God asks us to do things that seem scary or things that we’re not sure about, like God asked Moses to do, we can know that the presence of God goes with us. God gives us the strength we need and helps us know what to do. If we listen to and follow God, we know that God goes with us. There’s no need to be afraid because God will always be by our side.
Rest in the presence of God because God will never leave you.
Discussion and Prayer
- Ask your family if they have ever felt the presence of God with them. Have them talk about those experiences.
- Talk about how sometimes we feel God’s presence in a big way, but at other times, God’s presence is in something small that happens.
- Talk about ways you can know that you are following God.
- Pray, giving thanks for God’s presence that is always with us and asking for help in knowing what God wants us to do.
Rev. Jessica Asbell is the Minister to Children and Families at First Baptist Roswell, where she has been serving since 2012. She has written the children’s curriculum for Smyth & Helwys’s Annual Bible Study for the books of Daniel; Ezekiel; Luke; Jonah; 1 Corinthians; 1, 2, 3 John and Jude; Colossians; The Story of Israel’s Ancestors: Living toward a Promise; and Where Faith & Family Meet: A Book of Weekly Devotions. She has also written for CBF’s Spark and Form and for Affect in CBF’s fellowship! magazine. Married to Jonathan Oravec, Jessica reads every chance she gets.
