Aug 26, 2024
“Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with [Moses] and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’ Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped.” (Exodus 34:5-8)
Sad to say, but summertime is drawing near its end already.
Is summer in some ways like a wilderness? Not for the
most part, but in a few respects it is, and not just because of the
heat! We also tend to scatter, slow down and change our
rhythms and habits over the summer. We withdraw from some of
grind that marks the cooler months of the year. And so, in
this late-August moment as the seasons come near to changing, it’s
good to think of some wilderness questions for our faith.
It was in the wilderness where the Lord revealed Himself most fully to Israel and first proclaimed His name to them. This is where the people of God really got to know their God: being stuck in the wilderness with nothing but themselves and God for forty long years.
Now there were a few things God equipped His people with in these early chapters of their desert pilgrimage for that journey of getting to know and trust Him. He gave them the means to survive through provision (manna and water from the rock) and security (the defeat of the Amalekites through faith in God). Then God gave the law (ethical shape of life), the tabernacle (liturgical shape of life), and invited them into rhythms of meaningful work and Sabbath rest (creational shape of life).
Lastly, as the covenant is restored following the golden calf incident, God also affirms the gift of His presence with His people—the most necessary ingredient of all for their life and living. And as the book of Exodus closes, that presence is embodied in the cloud that fills the tabernacle with the glory of the Lord. God, their God, was indeed with them. Anytime of the day or night they could steal a glance toward the tabernacle and be assured: God was still home—right there in the middle of the camp, tenting it with His people out in the wilderness.
For forty years they walked this journey of wilderness pilgrimage, learning by those long years of repetition to trust all God’s gifts of grace. Along that journey, they would unlearn how to be slaves and they would learn for the first time how to truly be free: following and living in the provision and presence of the God who was compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
So the questions: what have you been learning about God through
these summer months? What are the graces God is giving to you? What
are the shapes for life—the habits & practices—he might be calling
you into this Fall so that your attention and trust can be better
trained on him? Where is he calling you to trust more fully in Him?
Take some time to reflect on those questions today.
May God continue to tent it with you in the wilderness as he
accomplishes his purposes in your life and in the lives of all His
people.
As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he
may send you.
May he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through
the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown
you.
May he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our
doors.