“And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.” Exodus 34:5

Can you imagine how Moses must have felt when he came down from spending time with God on the mountain and saw the people worshiping a god they had made with their hands? No wonder he threw the stone tablets on the ground. We may joke about him being the first person to break all the commandments, but he certainly did not feel like laughing.

Now he is back on the mountain again so that God can re-write His commandments. Moses asked God to let him see Him, God told him no one could look on God, but He did descend in a cloud and Moses felt His presence there as once again God delivered His plans for the Israelites. Verse 8 says that Moses bowed his head and worshiped. In verse 9, he asks for pardon for the people and for the Lord to go with them on their journey.

God appeared in the cloud to comfort Moses and to assure him that he was always with him. There have been times when praying or worshipping that I have felt the presence of the Lord very close. Often, I turn my head to look, feeling that I am not alone. No, I have never actually seen the Lord, nor even a cloud, but I am sure that the Lord has been there with me in my room or in my car.

Once when I was feeling sad about leaving a relative’s home and heading back to my apartment, I spoke out loud, “Well, Lord here I am alone again.” I didn’t hear an audible voice but did hear that still small voice saying, “You are not alone.” I turned, almost expecting to see someone sitting in my passenger seat. Peace filled my heart, and the loneliness left, knowing that the Lord was with me.

We have the Holy Spirit abiding in our heart and guiding us. But there are those special times when God allows us to feel His presence like a cloud surrounding us, and we know that He is right there with us. We cannot see Him with our natural eye, but He is real. Like Moses, we lift our hearts and voices in worship to the One who will never leave us alone.

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, that you are always with us, and thank you for those special times when you make your presence so real that we can almost touch you.

Devotion by Anne Johnston

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2 Comments

  1. rhonda norris

    I remember once, when my 2 boys were young and I went to my bedroom to pray. I laid down on my stomach “before the Lord”. His presence was so real that I felt surely if I had opened my eyes I would have seen his feet!! Once I understood that He had an expected end for me and that He was always working inside of me to change me to be more like Him, I grew Spiritually by leaps and bounds. He is so faithful to us.

    • Anne Johnston

      Thank you, Rhonda, for your comment. Where would be be without the Lord?