Yesterday in church we sang a song that repeated the line, “I am amazed by you,” several times in the chorus. As we were singing I heard the Lord say to me, “I am amazed by YOU.” I confess that at first I doubted that I was hearing from God, although I did recognize his voice. The reason for my uncertainty was because, like many of us, my feelings are usually more along the line of being disappointed in myself. As I pondered silently I realized that the “you” was not a single personal pronoun but a plural pronoun. God was talking about all of us there at church (and you too). Secondly, it was clear to me that the “amazement” he was expressing was truly full of the joy and awe we associate with the word. That was part of what made this statement so puzzling to me.

As I was pondering if this could really be a word from the Lord, I heard, “Do you think you have experienced anything as a parent that I haven’t experienced?” Along with this question came memories of sitting in the living room with our baby daughter coaxing her to let go of the coffee table and take the one step to my outstretched hands and the big deal we made of it when she did it. But then one day we walked into the living room to see her let go of the coffee table and just walk across the room. We were amazed at her!

There is a phrase in a verse that just keeps repeating over and over in my mind this week. In Exodus 33:16 Moses asks God how he and Israel will be “distinguished,” recognizably “different,” or “set apart” from the rest of the people on earth. Of course, the answer is that if God’s presence goes with them this distinctive will be obvious to others.

While the main emphasis in this passage is the presence, the thing that has been churning in my heart for the past few days is that I want to be recognizably different. There are really two motives for this.