Rest

The Lord replied, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." (Exodus 33:14) These were words that God spoke to Moses, when Moses was wondering who was going to help him with the job God had given him to do. I can imagine getting those thousands of Israelites out of Pharaoh's rule was an exhausting job. In the middle of the journey Moses was wondering how he was going to find the strength to finish the task of getting them all into the Promised Land.
Most of us live in a physical and mental state of exhaustion. Our to-do lists are longer than the 24 hours we have to accomplish them. The bills are greater than our income, deadlines are coming faster than we can work, laundry and dishes are piling up and the light at the end of the tunnel is a train! We drop exhausted into bed at night, only to wake up with the realization that our fairy god mother did not wave her magic wand and do all our work for us. We face the new day with more exhaustion than the one before. Life does not stop in order for us to catch up.
We realize that we will never be able to get it all done in this lifetime. The weight of that thought sits heavy on our heart as we face each new day. Rest eludes us. I wonder if Moses felt this kind of weariness. His journey had been long, there were too many mouths to feed, people to please and he knew his strength was failing. He wondered out loud who God was going to send to help him. When God replied he simply said, "My presence will go with you.."
God promises Moses that He will give him rest simply through His presence. I encourage you each day to come and sit in God's presence and let him exchange his rest for your exhaustion. He is the answer to your financial struggles. He is the answer to your health challenges. He is the answer to the tyranny of the urgent that looms large each day in your life. Don't rush out the door without his presence. Take time to sit in silence before Him. In verse 15 Moses went on to say, "If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here." Refuse to step into the activities of your day until your heart is filled with God's abiding presence. God was waiting at the mountaintop to speak face to face with Moses. He is waiting for you. Don't let the worries and concerns of the valley keep you from making the journey to the top. This is the only place you will find rest and strength to go back down to the valley and finish the work He has called you to do. Push away your exhaustion and make the climb. The view at the top is spectacular!