The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction. Exodus 24:12
God is calling Moses to climb the mountain to hand off the laws and commandments here, right?
Not so much. “Stay here” in this verse really means, “be here” or “exist here.” So what is God asking Moses to do?
God is really asking Moses to climb the mountain, not only to chisel out and carry back the stone tablets, but also to come up and be there – to hang out with him. He's asking Moses to come up and to be fully awake, fully alive, and fully present with God in that moment. He is asking Moses to live fully awakened to the fact that he is in the very presence of God, the creator and sustainer of all, in the here and now.
God knows that we live our lives at a breathless pace, rushing from one place to another. What God is saying to Moses is simply this: “Don’t miss it.” Don’t miss what is going on all around you. Don’t be so focused on somewhere else that you miss the very moment that you are in.
Like Moses, my tendency would be to climb the mountain, thinking the whole time about what might be on the top, only to reach the top, thinking about what might happen when we get back down. All the time, we miss the mystery of the present moment.
What would it look like to live a life that is fully present? What would it look like to see God all around you, to live in the mystery of the present moment? I wonder how that would change our perception of what is important in this life.
God, awaken me to who You are and what You are doing in this world. Help me not to be looking forward to something or somewhere else. Help me not to miss it. Help me not to miss You.
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