“LORD, Accompany Us With Your Presence!”

“LORD, Accompany Us With Your Presence!”(Ex.33:14-23).
One of my teachers wondered whether in the age of advanced hi-tech it was not time for God to appear maybe on T.V. to answer some of those questions that human responses only lead to confusion and further questioning!
The origins of icons in religion is the yearning of worshipping beings to see the object of their worship.
Moses had the same worry when he said to the Lord,“Now show me your glory.” God had told Moses,“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” He further told Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
When Moses asked God, “Show me your glory,” he was in effect asking ,“Show me your face.” The Lord was categoric in his response,“But you cannot see my face, for no one may see my face and live.”
During his earthly ministry Jesus reiterated this, that no one has seen the father except the son. We see the father through the son, because the son and the father are one.
Moses was asking too much by wanting to see God’s glory(face). We too keep longing to see his face as in the song, My soul is searching for the Lord. When shall I see him face to face?”
“God reveals his presence;” not by letting us see face. Rather, he says, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
God’s name “LORD” which he said he will proclaim to Moses was not to be peddled as cheap commodity like we do these days! The Tetragrammaton, the Hebrew name for God had four letters, YHWH to which some added vowel points to read YaHWeH or YeHoWaH. It was a sacred name and was hardly used. In its place LORD was used instead.
We should be confident that when God is pleased with us and know us by name, his Presence will go with us. God can only be pleased with us when we do what is pleasing to him.
God reveals his Presence through his nature and character: his goodness, his mercy (grace) and compassion. The Lord has revealed his presence by showing his goodness, mercy and compassion through the sacrifice of his son. We too are challenged to reveal to others his Presence which he has revealed to us by doing what is pleasing to the Lord, showing goodness, and by being merciful and compassionate to others.
Prayer of the week: LORD, let your Presence go with us through the storms and waves of life till we land on safe shores. Amen!
Welcome back to a new working week! Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.