Face to Face
The Lord your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in his love. He will delight in you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
Friday, March 13, 2020, was the last day I worked from an office. That afternoon, the President declared a national emergency as COVID-19 swept across America—and we never returned to in-person work. Eventually, my company even sold our building and moved into a smaller space designed only for meetings, with no individual offices. For nearly six years now, I’ve worked remotely from home.
While I’m grateful to avoid the daily rush-hour traffic, I’ve grown weary of constant Zoom calls and the absence of in-person collaboration. Technology today allows us to connect through FaceTime, Zoom, and social media, and for those we can’t be with in person, that’s a gift. Still, nothing replaces a face-to-face, personal connection.
Can you imagine experiencing that kind of closeness with the Almighty God? Moses had just that relationship with Him.
When Moses met God at the burning bush in Exodus 3, God revealed Himself as Yahweh (“I AM WHO I AM”), the self-existent, eternal One. And God called Moses by name, not once but twice. Unlike the distant gods of Egypt, Yahweh was personal. He saw His people’s suffering, heard their cries, and chose Moses as His instrument of deliverance.
Moses’ relationship with Yahweh grew over time to friendship. In Exodus 33, Moses pitched a tent and called it the tent of meeting, where he actually met with God. When Moses entered the tent, God, in the form of the pillar of cloud, would come down into the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. Verse 11 says, “The LORD would speak with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend.”
In Exodus 34:5, the LORD came down in a cloud, stood with Moses, and proclaimed his name, “the LORD.” Verses 6-7 say, “The LORD passed in front of him and proclaimed: The LORD-the LORD is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin.”
Yahweh, often translated as the LORD in all caps, is the personal, proper name and eternal identity of God. While this signifies his presence, faithfulness, and self-existence, it was not just a title of authority. Yahweh was not only powerful enough to part seas and shake mountains—He was near enough to guide, correct, and reassure.
Yahweh of the Bible is the same “I AM” today. He is a relational God by nature, and He pursues a personal relationship with each of us. He also gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to serve as His active presence on earth to guide, comfort, and empower believers. While we may not be able to see God face to face, we can still have an intimate, personal relationship with Him. He promises to go before us and to be with us. He sees us, hears us, and knows about each of us personally. He is near; not a distant, detached god. Luke 12:7 says, “Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid.” If God cares enough to keep track of the hairs on your head, there is nothing too small or too big that He cannot handle.
Like Moses often felt, we may feel inadequate, but Yahweh’s presence is our confidence. We just have to acknowledge His presence and make time for the LORD. Doesn’t that sound simple? Not always with the craziness of life. But from a practical standpoint, we carve out time in our daily life to spend time in prayer, Scripture reading and study, and sitting in quiet in His presence. This may be about establishing new routines or maybe it is about incorporating this time into our already established routines and rythms.
In the days ahead, let’s strive to walk closely with Yahweh, the LORD. How cool and awesome it is to know that the God of the universe is near, cares about us, and wants to be in a relationship with us!
Call to Action
Place two chairs facing each other. Sit in one of them. Imagine Jesus sitting in the other one. What might the conversation look like? What would you ask Him?
Moses spoke openly with Yahweh. When you pray over the next few days, be honest with Him. He can handle it-fear, frustration, questions, and all.
Incorporate time with God into your established routines and rhythms: pray or listen to worship music while driving to and from work, or listen to Scripture or spiritual podcasts as you work around the house or exercise. Share a devo during breakfast or dinner with your family.
Look for and acknowledge God’s presence in each of your days, maybe in the evenings as you close the day.
Digging Deeper
Read through Exodus for all the moments that Moses had direct contact with Yahweh. You can also go to the four gospels in the New Testament and read example after example of how Jesus was relational in His earthly ministry. Here are more verses on God’s personal nature: Deuteronomy 31:8, Psalm 139:1-5, Psalm 28:7, Proverbs 8:17, Jeremiah 1:5, John 8:38-39, 1 John 4:7-11.
Prayer
Yahweh, thank You for Your desire to dwell with Your people and for always being near. Help me trust Your presence more than my fears and walk closely with You. Amen.
Copyright © 2026 Kyle Cravens