365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 165: His Name Goes Before Us

His Name Goes Before Us

"The LORD replied, 'I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you.'" (Exodus 33:19a NLT)

I'm so glad God picked Moses to be the human hands, feet, and voice of one of His earliest rescue and redemption plans. Here's a guy who, at the end of his life, was literally given a Divine burial (Deuteronomy 34:6), yet he started out as the unlikeliest hero, giving the rest of us hope that we, too, can be used by God in spite of ourselves. 

Take, for example, the conversation between God and Moses that culminates in Exodus 33:19. God has been telling Moses to lead His people to the promised land, and Moses finally says, essentially, "You've been telling me to do this, but you haven't told me who's going to go with me! I need You to come along; otherwise, how will everyone know that we're Your chosen ones?" And God essentially says, "Alright...I will."

The Great I AM is God of the now and of the next. He's present with us in our todays, but at the same time, He's always taking us someplace else tomorrow. 

He doesn't do this just for the sake of dragging us outside our comfort zones; when He moves us, it's always because He has something better up ahead. Neither does He just point us in the general direction of the next thing and tell us, "Okay, get going." Instead, His goodness and His name lead the way.

"But God," we say to Him, "it's uncomfortable."
"I know," He tells us, "but I am the Comforter."

"But God, I can't see where I'm going."

"I know," He tells us, "but I am the Lamp."

"But God, I'm tired."

"I know," He tells us, "but I am your Strength."

"But God..."

"I know," He tells us. "But I AM."

Oh God, Your name goes before us. Help me to make it known.