As most of y’all know, I recently returned from serving 28 days as a Chaplain with the Air Force Reserves.  I was sent to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it is a special place.  Nellis is “The Home of the Fighter Pilot.”  It functions as the main fighter pilot training base due in part to the large flight area provided by the Nevada desert. 

For me, that meant that while I was there, there seemed to always be jets in the air.  From my arrival at 8am to my departure after 4pm, there was often a roar as a jet took off, or a rumble as a pair of jets flew over the base performing their maneuvers.  It was easy to remember that the purpose of our work at Nellis is training pilots and that the United States Air Force is powerful and mighty.

However, I find that it is not so easy to remember my purpose as a Christian.  Nor, at times, do I properly appreciate the power and might of the God I serve.  Our God is majestic, holy, and immense.  He holds the universe in His hands, a universe that is billions of light years across and He has invited me into His glorious work of redemption.  And yet, I forget sometimes how glorious He is and the great plan He has for me. 

So often, I wish there was a heavenly fighter jet roaring by to remind me.  I need to be reminded that God is glorious.  I need to remember that everything I see exists because God loves us and wants a relationship with us.  And I should not forget my purpose, that I am called to love others as best I can because God first loved me. 

However, God did provide a reminder for His people when Moses was leading them in Exodus 33-34.  Moses had already spent days with God on Mount Sinai when, in Exodus Chapter 33, he asked to see God’s glory and the Lord replied:

“…you cannot see my face for man shall not see me and live.”  And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.  Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

Exodus 33:20-23
Then, as the Lord passed before Moses, He proclaimed His perfect character saying:

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression of sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Exodus 34:6-7
Because Moses was able to see a part of God’s glory and received knowledge of God’s character, he served as a living reminder of God’s glory and of their purpose for the people of Israel.  When Moses returned to the people, his face shone because he had been talking with God.  People were even afraid to come near him because his face shone.  What a reminder of God’s power for the people who just a couple of months earlier had created a golden calf to worship instead of the Living God.  This reminder didn’t straighten them out completely, but it did seem to help them remember that God was present with them.

Today, I hope that this devotional serves as a reminder for you as it did for me, a reminder of God’s glory, power, and purpose for your life.  Even though we can’t see God, and we don’t have a Moses or a fighter jet to remind us constantly, we can still remind ourselves daily that God is glorious and immense, and that we have a good purpose here on earth.  I don’t know what that reminder will look like for you, but when I see the moon, when I eat a tasty meal, and when I am shown love by others, I’m thankful that God reminds me that He is worthy of my praise and of my life. 

God’s Presence and Love be with you all,
Noah Wilson