“The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” — Exodus 33:11 (NIV)
Friendship with God sounds somewhat incredulous. God is other. He is transcendent. He is holy, powerful, and far beyond us.
But notice this little phrase tucked quietly in Exodus 33. It is a tender scene: Moses meeting with the Lord, “face to face, as one speaks to a friend.”
Can you imagine it?
No smoke or thunder. No stone tablets. Just a tent outside the camp and God showing up for a conversation.
The glory Moses longed for wasn’t a spectacle. It was closeness, intimacy, friendship.
Yes, God had revealed Himself through wonders and fire. But glory also shows up in whispers, in the quiet places where friendship is formed. It’s personal. It’s relational. It’s real.
And the same God who met Moses in a tent meets us now through Christ, who said, “I have called you friends” (John 15:15)
That changes everything.
You don’t have to perform.
You don’t have to prove yourself.
You just come as you are and talk with the One who already knows your heart.
Glory is not always bright light.
Sometimes, it looks like friendship.
Sometimes, it sounds like your name spoken in love.
This week, find your tent. Step away from the noise. Make space.
He’s waiting to meet with you in person, even face to face.
What would it look like to sit with God, unhurried and honest, this week?
Reflect on these passages:
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is an eternal God,
the Creator of the whole earth.
He does not get tired or weary;
there is no limit to his wisdom.
He gives strength to those who are tired;
to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy.
Even youths get tired and weary;
even strong young men clumsily stumble.
But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength;
they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings,
they run without growing weary,
they walk without getting tired. (Isaiah 40:28 - 31 NET)
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NET)
Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes. (Psalm 37:7)
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:10-11)