Holy Ground in the Wilderness

I’ve been struggling to write lately.

I’ve studied Book of Exodus for several months now, yet over the last year, the Lord has also been exposing places in my own heart I did not realize were still rooted in pride. Somewhere along the way, I began to subtly equate spiritual maturity with becoming less dependent on God and more self-sufficient in my faith.

Turns out, it did not take much for that illusion to crumble.

Lately, I’ve wrestled with anxiety, uncertainty, and a lingering sense of inadequacy. I like feeling prepared, capable, and certain of where I’m headed. But this year, God has been calling me into places that feel unfamiliar and far beyond my own abilities and preparation. 

And if I’m honest, that has been uncomfortable.

But as I return to Exodus, I am beginning to realize that God is introducing me to a different kind of strength—not confidence in myself, but dependence on the God who says, “I AM.”

The wilderness is often where God makes Himself known.

Not because He is absent everywhere else, but because the wilderness has a way of stripping away the noise until His voice becomes unmistakable.

That is one reason I chose to study Exodus. This book is far more than a story about oppression and freedom. At its heart, Exodus is the story of a holy God who reveals Himself, redeems a people for Himself, and ultimately dwells among them in covenant.

The opening chapters set the stage. Israel is oppressed under Pharaoh. The Hebrew midwives fear God over the commands of a king. Moses is preserved in providence, raised in Pharaoh’s house, and yet his first attempt at bringing justice ends in failure and exile. Israel groans under slavery, and God hears, remembers, sees, and knows.

Then, in chapter 3, the central movement of Exodus comes into focus.

Before God delivers His people, He reveals Himself.

And He does so in the wilderness.

Much of Exodus is not centered on Egypt itself, but on what comes after: the wilderness journey, the revelation of God’s holiness, the covenant at Sinai, and the formation of a people who will live in His presence.

At the center of that journey is the mountain of God—Mount Horeb.

Before the plagues, before the sea split, before the law was given, there was Horeb—the place where God revealed Himself to Moses in fire.

It is here, on holy ground, that Moses learns who God is.

As Moses approaches the burning bush, God tells him:

“Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)

And through this encounter, so do we.

When God calls Moses to return to Egypt, Moses immediately responds with the question many of us ask when God calls us beyond what feels safe or familiar:

“Who am I?”

Who am I to lead?
Who am I to speak?
Who am I to obey when I still feel weak myself?

Moses asks:

“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11)

But God does not respond by building Moses’ confidence in himself.

Instead, He says:

“I will be with you.” (Exodus 3:12)

And perhaps one of the most beautiful details in this passage is that God promises Moses that he will one day return to this very mountain.

“This shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:12)

The confirmation Moses longs for is not given before the journey begins, but through experiencing God’s faithfulness along the way.

The mountain where Moses first encounters God in uncertainty would later become the mountain where Israel worships Him in covenant.

Because the goal was never simply leaving Egypt.

It was learning to dwell in the presence of a holy God.

And later, when Moses asks God His name, God answers:

“I AM WHO I AM.” (Exodus 3:14)

The more I study Exodus, the more I realize this story is not ultimately about Moses discovering who he is. It is about Moses discovering who God is.

Moses is fearful, limited, and uncertain.

Pharaoh is powerful, yet temporary.

Israel is oppressed and unstable.

But God simply is.

Holy.
Eternal.
Self-sufficient.
Unchanging.

“I AM.”

That is one of the great purposes of the wilderness throughout Exodus. The wilderness was not meaningless wandering or divine abandonment. It was the place where God taught His people to depend on Him daily—to trust His presence, follow His voice, and grow in covenant relationship with Him.

Israel would learn that freedom alone was not the goal.

God’s presence was.

And maybe that is what I am learning too.

Not how to become unshakable in myself, but how to rest more fully in the God who is.

Because God’s answer to human weakness is not always immediate escape from difficulty.

His presence does not always remove the wilderness.

But it reminds us that we were never meant to walk through it alone.