Tired, weary, on the verge of giving up-- sometimes in spite of my desire to be close to the Lord, I find myself in a spiritual desert. Have you ever felt like God was far away when you needed Him most?

     I think Exodus 33 can give us a glimpse into understanding these times. In this chapter, God promises to go with Moses as he leads the Israelites.  In return, Moses wants affirmation of God's presence and asks to see God's glory.

     "And the LORD said, '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 will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But', he said, 'you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.' Then the LORD said, 'There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back, but my face must not be seen.'"    Ex. 33:19-23.

     Think back to the last time you experienced a dry time with the Lord, even though you were seeking Him. Immediately following it did you have an intense moment with the Lord? Learn a huge lesson? See God or yourself in a new way? I know I normally follow this pattern: desert--> intimate moment.

     So going back to Exodus-- If we are seeking Him we are promised that He is near-- so the feeling of a desert can't equal the lack of His presence. I suggest that perhaps deserts are when God is so close that He covers us with his hand to spare our lives! Then, are intimate moments happen when he has passed in front of us and we are able to see His back! How comforting this is to me! To know that he is ever near, and therefore, deserts are just a chance to grow in our faith and perseverance. How amazing to realize our most intimate moments with the LORD only involve us seeing His back! I can't wait to see Him face-to-face in Glory!

Disclaimer & Challenge: This passage (Exodus 33) has spoken to me in different ways over many years. I believe that it is a very powerful chapter that has many things to teach us. So this blog is simply something the Lord taught me, and not a comprehensive look at a rich chapter of scripture. I hope that some of you will run with this chapter and write about how the Lord speaks to you through these words!   

To close this out, I have to recognize that much of these thoughts came from conversations I had years ago with a dear friend of mine and accountability partner, Robin Mooty. She is an awesome girl who continues to see God's word in amazing new ways! Thanks for all those heart-to-hearts!