Get on the Mountain
Get on the Mountain
The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there so that I may give you the stone tablets with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.” (Exod. 24:12)
Moses’ Ministry Objectives
In Exodus 24:1, God told Moses to come up to Him. But interestingly, Moses didn’t immediately go up to see God. Instead, he went about doing God’s work, speaking to the people, writing down God’s laws, arranging an altar of worship. All good stuff, but what God really desired was face-to-face time with Moses. So God came back to Moses a second time and commanded, “Come up to Me on the mountain.” Then God added a little tweak, “and stay there.”
Like Moses we can easily allow ministry to get in the way of actual intimacy with God. And then when we do spend time with God, it can be rushed and superficial if we’re not patient enough to stay in His presence long enough for our hearts and minds to quiet down and listen.
Good Versus Great
Perhaps Moses thought he was too busy for the mountain. Maybe he thought his calendar was too full of important activities to spend time with God. But that’s wrong thinking. Ministry is important to God, but time with Him is crucial. Like Moses we can get this backward, forsaking the great in pursuit of the good. What we don’t realize is that time on the mountain fuels ministry. Time in the Word and prayer fills up our empty hearts so that we have something to give to others.
Bottom Line
Being busy for God is a cheap substitute for time with God.