Exodus 33:14 “And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”
In Exodus 32, Moses has just descended from Mount Sinai after receiving the Ten Commandments from God. Revealed to him by God, Moses returns to the camp of the Israelites to witness them worshipping the golden image of a calf. In anger, Moses smashes the stone tablets upon which God has written His laws, destroys the golden idol, and has the Levites slay 3,000 men.
God then tells Moses that due to the grievous sins of the people, He will not be in the midst of them anymore, but will instead send His angel ahead of them as they travel. Moses beseeches God to remain with them instead of the angel as they continue to the Promised Land, and God honors Moses in Exodus 33:14 by telling him that He will stay, ultimately leading them Himself to their rest… their destination of a peaceful land flowing with milk and honey.
I also can claim the promise of Exodus 33:14. God’s presence is with me and will give me rest just as He did with Moses and the children of Israel. When I accepted Christ as my Saviour, He promised to be with me always, taking me to my rest, the place He has prepared for me… my eternal home in heaven. My salvation through Jesus has provided me with a very special relationship with God. He now lives within me in the presence of His Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17 & 1 Corinthians 3:16), and He will continue to be with me forever! What a wonderful promise! God is with me every moment of every day!
Since God never fails to keep a promise (Joshua 23:14), I have the assurance that I will never be without Him, but this also reminds me that wherever I go or whatever I do, I take God there with me. Whatever conversation I have, He is hearing it; whatever television show I watch, He is seeing it; whatever I do that is ungodly, I drag Him into it (Psalm 139:7-10). My responsibility is to walk worthy (1 Thessalonians 2:12) by allowing God to have His will and way in my life. Sadly, I have found that I cannot do this on my own. Completely surrendering to Him is the key, but giving Him total control of my life is difficult; it is a constant battle for me. My sinful nature fights for control, and I can only overcome that by depending upon His strength for victory (1 Corinthians 15:57). As God continues His work in me (Philippians 1:6), I must strive to follow in the footsteps of Jesus to become that living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is my reasonable service (Romans 12:1).
“Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name. Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes. – Psalm 119:132-135