Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend (Exodus 33: 10-11).

How are you doing? Let’s catch up! Do you want to grab a cup of coffee? Mind if I join you? Can we go for a walk? We should grab lunch! Hey, do you have a few minutes to chat?  

These are all familiar invitations.  When you see a friend, the natural inclination to talk about what has been going on often rises to the front.  Sometimes these conversations are quick and surface level, and other times these become much deeper discussions.  We do not always know which direction these conversations are going to go, but we still welcome the invitation.

Chapter 33 in Exodus is exciting to read because we get invited into the conversations between God and Moses.  What really stood out for me while reading the text was as much what was not written as what was.  Searching through my translation, the word “pray” or “prayer” is used exactly zero times!  That is even more amazing to me considering that this chapter is all about Moses talking with God.  

Merriam-Webster defines the word “pray” as “to address God or a god with adoration, confession, supplication, or thanksgiving”. These are all excellent things, and certainly belong in our relationship with God.  But verse 11 tells us that God spoke face to face with Moses, “as one speaks to a friend”.  Later in the chapter, God tells Moses, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” (V. 20), so we know verse 11 does not mean Moses literally came face to face with God.  But it speaks to the relationship Moses had with God.  We know Moses made time to adore, confess, supplicate, and give thanks to the Lord, but Moses also had conversations with God, and God warmly welcomed him to do so.

Throughout this series, we have talked about different ways to pray, different ways to look at the Scripture, and different ways to make room for God in our lives.  The common thread running through all of this is that God loves us, and he wants to have a relationship directly with us.  He wants us to make space for him, and he is eager to accept any invitation to be in our lives!  

Have a conversation with God this week just like you would with a friend.  Go for a walk with God. Grab a cup of coffee with God.  Or just find a quiet place where the two of you can meet “face to face” and just talk.