On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and
lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a
long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with
God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke
because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed
into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook
violently. As the blast of the ram’s
horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply. The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai
and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain. Exodus 19:16-20
Quiet time. One of
the reasons I tend to write my devotions very early in the morning is because
that is when my head is clearest. It
does not have distractions, and I can see God’s intent more clearly than when
there is a bunch of calamities around me.
I think of how God through His word gives me instruction for myself and
my family, and how He inspires me to write words that I normally would not come
up with. Do you appreciate those
times? Perhaps the reason that we hear
God so clearly during these times is because of the noise outside of those
times. It made me think that if God is
all knowing and can do anything, perhaps He knowingly inserts ‘the noise’ in
our life as well. It’s the noise that
forces us to be present in the world, and through that noise, we realize that deliberate
effort must be made to fully engage with Him.
It is in a way a test to make us focus.
That’s why prayer time is important.
Prayer is the discipline of focusing on Him despite all that is around
you. Thus, ‘the noise’ has a purpose
just as the quiet times.
God always wants our attention. In our journey of Moses, we get to where the Israelites
reach Mount Sinai. Prior to today’s
verses, God had prepped Moses for what was to happen saying, “Go down and
prepare the people for my arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have
them wash their clothing. Be sure they are ready on the third day, for on that
day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai as all the people watch.” (Exodus
19:10b-11) Think of it like you are the councilman for town’s 4th of
July event, and the people putting on the fireworks show are telling you what’s
going to happen. You think, “Sweet!” So, Moses shared with the people what was to occur. In reading this chapter, one might think this
sounds like a bunch of noise and bravado from God. But let’s put this in context. You see, God did not show off all this to
amaze the people. He did after all part
the Red Sea and provided for them all throughout the journey. That’s amazing all by itself. But He wanted their attention because
something big was about to happen, and in this case, ‘the noise’ gave them
awareness of what was to follow. The
next thing to occur was the authoring of The Ten Commandments. How often do we take noise as things to
distract us from God? While that often
is true, sometimes the noise is the bell that notifies us something needs to
happen. Before a race is run, there’s
the starting gun that goes off. In much
the same way, God can create moments that can trigger us to respond in a way He
wants us to.
God is always in control.
If we believe this through all the good times, we certainly should
remember this when there is so much around us going on. With all the distraction and major disruption
about us for the next few weeks ahead, this is perhaps the noise to awaken us to
what really matters. It is a time to
seek out God and remember His sovereignty, wisdom, and presence. Let’s make this time as the starting gun to a
new sprint toward God and His love. How
has disruption in your life been a motivator for greater focus on God? What will you commit to ensure more
discipline finding Him in times of calamity?
My prayer is we are attentive when God inserts in our lives ‘the noise.’ Amen.
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