Walking in Faith

Exodus 19:16-25 (NIV)

16 On the morning of the third day there 
was thunder and lightning, with a thick 
cloud over the mountain, and a very loud 
trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 
17 Then Moses led the people out of the 
camp to meet with God, and they stood at 
the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai 
was covered with smoke, because the LORD 
descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed 
up from it like smoke from a furnace, and 
the whole mountain trembled violently. 
19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder 
and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of 
God answered him.
20 The LORD descended to the top of Mount 
Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. 
So Moses went up 21 and the LORD said to him,
“Go down and warn the people so they do not 
force their way through to see the LORD and
many of them perish. 22 Even the priests, 
who approach the LORD, must consecrate 
themselves, or the LORD will break out against 
them.”
23 Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot 
come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned 
us, ‘Put limits around the mountain and set it apart 
as holy.’”
24 The LORD replied, “Go down and bring 
Aaron up with you. But the priests and the 
people must not force their way through to 
come up to the LORD, or he will break out 
against them.”
25 So Moses went down to the people and 
told them.

All my life, I have asked questions like: How come? Why should I? What’s that do? How does that work? What will that mean? What for? and so on. It is not a bad thing to question. I have learned a lot by asking questions. Jesus invites questions and discussion. The college is built on the idea that asking questions is important to learning.
In today’s passage, Moses is trying to understand what is going on, and why. I can relate to that. Can you? I think we all can. So for today, I suggest our meditation time lead us to how we faithfully respond to God in times when the explanation is not clear. An old hymn my grandparents use to sing a lot was: “Trust and obey, for there is no other way, to be faithful to Jesus, than to trust and obey”. And in this lies the tension for which we must pray and rely on the Holy Spirit to give us discernment.
When to seek understanding and when to walk out in faith. Much of our lives involve some of both. Sometimes a lot of both.
My prayer today and every day is: give me the curiosity to learn your ways Lord, and the faith to be obedient like Moses when I am called and I don’t understand why.

Steve Wilke is the VP of planning and new programs and the Executive Director of the Institute for Discipleship at Southwestern College.