In the early history of the Israelite people, they escaped slavery in Egypt and began a 40 year journey across the desert to a home of their own. In the midst of that journey God invited Moses up to the top of a mountain so that He could give him instructions for the Israelite people on how to live life. The instructions about the mountain encounter that God gave Moses seem odd at first. “Come up to me into the mount, and be there…” (Exodus 24:12). The phrase translated “be there” comes from a Hebrew word that’s related to breathing and means “to exist”. The only requirement for Moses as he spent time with God was to exist, to breathe in and breathe out.

Most of us keep up a pretty hectic pace in our life. There’s a job to be done, games to attend, dinners to fix, repairs to be made, rooms to be cleaned, classes to be attended, books to be read, art to be embraced, appointments to be kept, forms to fill out , and that’s just this morning. Our lives can be filled with so many good things that there isn’t room for relationship with God or anyone else. Our striving and running and accomplishing keep us from being close to God. There are times in life when we need to simply exist, just breathe in, breathe out, and listen. The God who created stars and sunsets, eagles and earthworms, breezes and bluegrass music, most likely doesn’t need our amazing multitasking abilities. He simply wants our presence and our attention. Stripping away the clutter and chaos of life from time to time isn’t easy, but it’s life giving. It makes us able to do what we were created for, the enjoy knowing and being known by God.