Today’s scripture: Exodus 19:9-13 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Melody Merida):
I’ve got a confession to make; I do NOT like much about the story of the giving of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 19-20.
As I was reading the story over and over again, I just kept thinking about God as a bully. God here seems to be mean, sort of daring the Israelites not to come near the mountain where God is physically present. Come on, that’s like telling a kid that whatever they do, no matter what, they absolutely can not under any circumstances open the door to a room filled with candy. Not very nice. So, I took several days with this passage and prayed that God would show me something to learn here.
Today as I was begrudgingly reading this passage again, I came across something that held new meaning to me. Believe me, I was as surprised as you are. In Exodus 19:9, God says to Moses “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud…” That simple phrase stood out to me. It stood apart from the way it was given in the narrative here, instead invoking a new personal meaning for me.
Often times it appears as though we are living in the middle of a dense cloud, unable to see any rays of sunshine breaking through. But as God was with Moses, so to God will come to us in the dense cloud. Maybe even in the dense cloud of difficult Scripture readings, or in the dense cloud of unemployment, or in the dense cloud of loneliness. We forgot sometimes that God lives in the clouds just like God lives in the sunshine.
And the best part of this phrase is that God will come to you in those dense cloud moments. Just be still and wait for God to show up to help you get through those cloudy days.
Thought for the day: Relax and remember that God lives in the dense cloud and will always provide a way. Thanks be to God!
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.