“It was Moses’ practice to take the Tent of Meeting and set it up some distance from the camp…As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at its entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses…Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.”
Exodus 33:7, 9, 11 NLT
We normally don’t trust people we don’t know. That’s why Moses’ declaration about God intrigues me: “He is MY God and I TRUST Him.” (Ps. 92:1) We know trust does not happen overnight. However, Moses climbed Mt. Sinai to be near God at least six times. Whether those encounters lasted a few hours or forty days, Moses had the privilege of hearing and seeing the LORD, face to face.
Howbeit, if the mountain was Moses’ only connection with God, he would have lost that relationship when the camp moved on. BUT it was Moses’ practice to set up the Tent of Meeting, so he could meet with God on a regular basis. Inside that tent, God and Moses interacted often—talking, listening, and learning to know and trust!
Nevertheless, one trip to the mountain or one hour in the tent does not build trust! It took effort every time Moses climbed that mountain; it took effort to set up the tent and keep on returning to it. But every effort was worthwhile when Moses could finally declare,
“I TRUST Him!”
If trust comes from knowing, if knowing takes time, and if God’s invitation to know Him is always open, then who needs to make a choice? You may be IN a desert right now, or just coming OUT of a desert, or headed TO a desert. But wherever you are, it’s never too late to set up your tent! So, take time right now to mark your spot—away from the marketplace, away from the crowds, whether they're in your mind or on your path. It doesn’t matter if your tent is indoors or outdoors. It doesn't matter if it's visible to others or not. Just keep on running there, and keep on sitting there—alone with your Father, face to face.
It's true, God will meet you wherever you are and whenever you need. And it's true, you can have countless mountain top experiences with God. But if you truly wanna learn to TRUST God, then set up your tent and meet Him there daily.
Unless you make the effort to build relationship with God in YOUR tent,
you will never be able to declare, “I TRUST Him!
But I can promise you this—
Once you enter YOUR tent and sit alone with YOUR God,
You’ll never regret one moment of effort it cost you to get there!
