“The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.””

 -Exodus‬ 33‬:14‬‬‬‬‬‬

Sounds amazing right? but I want to draw your attention to the verses before this reply.

“Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

-Exodus‬ 33‬:12-13‬

If you read the whole chapter, you will see that Moses was having a conversation with God. He asked Him with whom he would lead the Israelites. Moses also asked God to teach him His ways so He might know Him and continue to find favor with God. Interestingly, instead of giving him instructions or commands to follow, God answered by saying that His presence would go with him, and that He would give him rest. Does it make sense? Instead of getting instructions, Moses got the assurance that God will never leave him… It makes a lot of sense when we remember who God is. He is not a God who will leave nor forsake us. He is not a God who lets us go to the battlefield alone. He is a Good Father who knows how to teach His kids. He knows when to discipline us, and when to embrace us. He knows that we can do nothing on our own. He is our Good Shepherd, who leads us to the green pastures and still waters. He uses His rod and staff to comfort us.

God also responds to Moses that He will give him rest. Thus, we understand that it’s not all dependent on our own effort or hard work. Of course, it doesn’t mean that we should stop working hard and just slack off. Rest is not the same as idleness or procrastination. Neither does it equate to being lazy or slumbering. Rest is taking a pause after a period of work. Rest is the opportunity to recover from the strenuous work and enjoy its beauty. God Himself rested after He finished creating heaven and earth. God blessed the period of rest and made it holy. In other words, He set it apart.

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”

–Genesis 2:2-3

Now let’s take some time to think about this. Moses asked God to send someone to help him lead the Israelites. God said that His presence would go with him; he didn’t need any other man. Moses desired to know God and continue to find favor with Him. He thought that by knowing His ways he would earn God’s favor. God showed that it is not the point. The point is God’s faithfulness. He would walk with Moses and the Israelites because He decided to do so. It’s not about Moses’ effort to know God’s ways, fulfil the commandments, or lead the Israelites. Because God is with him, Moses can rest assured that God is the One leading the Israelites, and not him. Moses can rest in God’s presence, instead of thinking of how to collect ‘favor points’ by learning God’s ways.

It is counter-intuitive, of course, especially in this world with its ‘no-pain-no-gain’ mantras. But God shows that His Kingdom is indeed different from the world. The world teaches us to perform, but God teaches us to rest: rest in His presence, rest in the assurance that He is in control, that His presence goes with us, that He has equipped us with everything necessary to do His will, that He will create the desire to will and to act according to His good purpose, that He who has started the good work in us will complete it till the day of Jesus Christ, and that He who promises is faithful and will not tarry in bringing His word to come to pass. 

It takes faith to trust God, and to rest in His promises. 

Today, we want to strengthen and encourage you with these verses. Perhaps God has told you to do something difficult or even impossible for you. You think you cannot do it on your own, and you have been asking God for help. Or you are at a crossroad, and you don’t know which way to take, which decision to make, and you have asked God to show you the way He wants you to go. Whatever circumstance you are in at this moment, today we want to remind you of God’s promise that He gave to Moses: His presence will go with you and you will never be alone. He is the God who goes before you, prepares the way for you, and you just need to walk in it with boldness, as the child of the Most High God. He promised that He would give you rest, so just have faith and trust in God, as He will always be with you. Amen.