Have you ever had a mountaintop moment—a time when you knew God’s presence and His power in your midst? What was your response: joy, awe, excitement…fear?
Many people in the Bible have responded with holy fear when they encountered God because they suddenly realized how sinful they were. Isaiah famously said, “Woe to me…I am ruined!” in Isaiah 6:5. In Luke 5:8, Simon Peter said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
The closer we get to God, the more we see ourselves in our sinful state. In Exodus 19 and 20, Israel was told to be prepared to meet their God. They had prior warning (Exodus 19:9). Couldn’t they have been totally prepared? They had two days to wash their clothes—and they did. They set up barricades to keep themselves from touching the mountain in Sinai’s desert. Done. Check!
When the Lord descended upon Mt. Sinai in fire and billowing smoke, the mountain trembled. The people trembled. They received the Law with fear and trembling. Faced with a holy God and His Law, they were afraid for their lives, so they told Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die” (Exodus 20:19).
Moses was one of them. By comparison with an equal, they weren’t quite so afraid…or appalled at how sinful they were. Have you ever had a white shirt that once you wore it, no matter how effective the laundry method, strong the detergent, how much bleach you used, that shirt was never brilliant white again? Hanging amongst many not-so-white-anymore shirts, one shirt doesn’t look so bad, but buy a new one, hang it on a hanger, and all the old shirts dim by comparison.
Jesus is God’s equal and yet He was one of us. On a high mountain (Matthew 17:1-6 and Mark 9:2-8), Jesus was transfigured, visibly holy and brilliant. The disciples heard God speak and they were terrified. When they lifted their eyes, no one was there…except Jesus.
Are we terrified at our sinfulness?
Do we treat Jesus as a mere equal?
Let us consider Jesus’ holiness and ask, “How might I prepare myself to meet Him in all His glory?”
If the Bible were to have a “Best Of” series of Hall of Fame moments, it might be about the desert and recount times when the nation of Israel had seen God at work in powerful ways! In many respects, today’s passage ( 
Who are you and what are you doing?
As we prepare the way for the Lord during Lent, let’s ask ourselves:
The theme for our series is Prepare the Way—highlighted in today’s Scripture verse:
bush and received God’s call to deliver Israel from Egypt. It was in the desert that Moses climbed Mt. Sinai and received the Law to guide the chosen people. It was in the desert that the unfaithful ones died (those who refused to trust God’s faithfulness to bring them safely into the Promised Land as recorded in Numbers 14:29-30). The desert was a place of purification and testing.
What is forgiveness? Forgiveness is a transaction between two or more individuals. Forgiveness assumes someone acted wrongly toward another and that the offended person has a right to something as payment to make peace with the offense and the offender. It’s also a relational issue…and a complicated one at that. If you’d like to explore deeper, join me on the next page.
I’m continuing to start seeds indoors. I try not to start them so early that they become leggy before planting season. Knowing the last frost date for my area of USDA zone 5 is May 15, I back-calculate to determine what seeds to start on any given week. 
Martha Washington geraniums are cool season bloomers, but will continue blooming into the summer if sheltered from heat or full sun locations. I took cuttings when I brought them in last fall which served 2 purposes: (1) it made the mother plant smaller and (2) provided ample stock for multiplying quantities. I do the same with coleus which are easily started from cuttings. I grow stock plants through the winter under lights, take cuttings for new plants, and harden them off when planting season arrives.