Shelter from the Storm
When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
Exodus 33:22
As the story goes, in 1763, a young minister, traveling on a cliffside road in Somerset, England, ducked into a cave to escape the flashes of lightning and pounding rain. As he looked out at Cheddar Gorge, he pondered the gift of finding shelter and peace in God. Waiting there, he began to write a hymn, “Rock of Ages,” with its memorable opening lines: “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.”
We don’t know if Augustus Toplady thought about Moses’s experience in the cleft of a rock while writing the hymn (Exodus 33:22), but perhaps he did. The Exodus account tells of Moses seeking God’s reassurance and God’s response. When Moses asked God to reveal His glory to him, God answered graciously, knowing that “no one may see me and live” (v. 20). He tucked Moses into the rocks when He passed by, letting Moses only see His back. And Moses knew that God was with him.
We can trust that just as God said to Moses, “My Presence will go with you” (v. 14), so too we can find refuge in Him. We may experience many storms in our lives, as did Moses and the English minister in the story, but when we cry out to Him, He will give us the peace of His presence.
By Amy Boucher Pye
REFLECT & PRAY
Father God, help me to trust that You’re with me, even during the storms of life.
As you look back at various seasons of your life, how do you see God’s loving presence during the storms? How do you experience His presence today?
Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Moses had a unique relationship with God. In Exodus 33:11 we read, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” Yet in verse 20 God told Moses, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” The interaction Moses had with God was personal while still maintaining the separation necessary for a Creator and His creature. In the incarnation (Christ coming to earth as both God and a human being), Jesus bridged that gap. Creator became creature so we might again have a relationship with Him. J.R. Hudberg
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