Face to face

“No one is to come up with you, and no one is to be seen anywhere on the mountain; don’t even let the flocks or herds feed in front of this mountain.””
‭‭Sh’mot (Exo)‬ ‭34:3‬ ‭CJB‬‬

I’ve recently exchanged my camera bag to reflect my lifestyle these days. I call it, ”Living my best color pop life.” My son-in-law commented on how flashy my new bag was. I told him it is the best way I know of so they won’t lose me. We were traveling with my daughter and her family to lacrosse tournaments back east, and I’m talking several tournaments in one week. Half the time I didn’t know what city I was in and which team I was supposed to be cheering for. I told my son-in-law, ”If you don’t see this backpack on this back, at the field I’m suppose to be at, you might want to send the search party.”

I also traded my olive drab suitcase for my new flower cases.

I got tired of searching for the same suitcase everyone at the luggage go round seemed to be searching for. I wanted to be different. I wanted to be unique. I wanted my luggage to pop, so I could spot it easily. You know what, it worked.

There was a time when Moses and the children of Israel were surrounded by drab desert scenery. Escaping slavery, God led Moses and His children through the dry wasteland of Egypt. After 50 days, they came to Mount Sinai rising from the barren desert floor.

“The Lord said to Moses, “Cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Be prepared by morning. Come up Mount Sinai in the morning and stand before Me on the mountaintop. No one may go up with you; in fact, no one must be seen anywhere on the mountain. Even the flocks and herds are not to graze in front of that mountain.” Moses cut two stone tablets like the first ones. He got up early in the morning, and taking the two stone tablets in his hand, he climbed Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him. The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name Yahweh. Then the Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: Yahweh — Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth,”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭34:1-6‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

I lived in the desert area of New Mexico driving miles without seeing any color pop of flowers. The yucca and cactus plants were the staple plant of the area. I know the olive drab of the desert scene. So I am draw to the command the Lord God gave Moses, ”No one may go up with you; in fact, no one must be seen anywhere on the mountain. Even the flocks and herds are not to graze in front of the mountain.” What grass are the flocks supposed to graze on? They were in the desert. There was no grass only sand. That is literally the definition of desert.

I did my research. The desert is the backdrop where Moses was to meet with God and receive the Ten Commandments, but this verse indicates a miracle occurred at this meeting. Jewish Midrash teaches that God temporarily turned that area into fertile land with an abundance of greenery. Mount Sinai suddenly blossomed with flowers in anticipation of God meeting with Moses and writing the Ten Commandments on stone.

I love that imagery. Where God’s Presence is, there is color pop. The day the Lord God gave Moses The Torah, the Ten Commandments, Creator God splashed color around the foot of the mountain.

The Hebrew word for presence is – panim – which means ”face.” The word implies a face-to-face encounter, which is exactly what Moses experienced that day on Mount Sinai.

God brought life and color to that desert scene when He met with Moses. God wants to bring that same vibrancy into every moment of our lives, but first we must meet with Him. He wants to have a face-to-face relationship with us and breathe life into the dullness of our days.

Can we train ourselves to experience God’s presence, His Face, in everything we see?

Can you see Him in your color pop moments?