Exodus 34:29 (ESV) -- When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.

Have you ever had a bad sunburn? Most have. We forget to apply sunscreen, or we stay in the sun so long that it becomes irrelevant. It is funny to see somebody with a fresh sunburn. You instantly know they’ve been outside. You don’t see a sunburn and assume they were inside watching TV all day. The sunburn is a direct result from exposure to the sun.

Our passage today captures the story of Moses’ direct exposure to the presence of God and the effect it had on him. We read in Exodus, “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.” 

Moses spent time on the mountain with God. He lived there in the presence of God’s glory. When he came off the mountain, Moses didn’t even realize his face shone bright because he had been talking with God. Everyone who saw him recognized his face glowing. It shone differently than anyone else’s face. He had been with God. 

We are invited to live in the presence of God. Coram Deo is the Latin phrase for “Before the face of God.” Through Jesus we have that access and opportunity. Our faces will not shine as a result, but our lives will be different. As different as Moses’ face was from everyone else’s, our lives will be very different if we live in the presence of God. Our time each day in the Word, in prayer, and remembering His nearness to us throughout our day is how we can practice the habit of living in the presence of God.

Reflection & Journal:
- Why do you think Moses’ face shone from the presence of God? 
- How can we spend time in the presence of God each day?
- Why should our lives look different as a result of time each day with the LORD?

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