Cleft Living

I had a revelation in bible study today, and since I needed to process it, I thought I would write about it here. I am studying "A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place," the revised version by Beth Moore. We were reading Exodus 33, where Moses pleads with God to not send the Israelites on their way if He is not going to go with them. At the end of the chapter, God reveals His goodness and His glory to Moses by placing him in the cleft of the mountain with His hand covering him, letting Moses only see His back. Beth said, paraphrased, could it be that there are dark times in our life not because God is absent but because He has hidden us in a cleft and covered us with His hand while He works for our good in the heavenlies? We won't always be able to see God coming, or even working during those tough times, but if we are waiting and looking for it, we'll be able to see His back as He leads us out into our promised lands.
Oh, how I needed to hear that. Mohit and I have been through a dark season these last couple of months, and I am just now starting to see the dawn. While we agree on a theorhetical concept, we have not been able to agree on the practical application in our own life. This is something we have struggled with for six years of our eight year marriage. When the issue finally came to a head, and I couldn't see any possibility of light in our future, God gave me a song by Josh Wilson, "Before the Morning." The lyrics are as follows:

Do you wonder why you have to
Feel the things that hurt you?
If there's a God who loves you
Where is He now?
Or maybe, there are things you can't see
And all those things are happening
To bring a better ending.
Someday, somehow, you'll see, you'll see.

Would you dare, would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing?
'Cause the pain that you've been feeling
It can't compare to the joy that's coming.
So hold on, you gotta wait for the light
Press on and just fight the good fight
'Cause the pain that you've been feeling
Is just the dark before the morning.

My friend, you know how this all ends,
And you know where you're going.
You just don't know how you'll get there
So say a prayer.
And hold on
'Cause there's good for those who love God
But life is not a snapshot,
It might take a little time, but you'll see the bigger picture

Once you feel the weight of glory
All your pain will fade to memory.

As I was looking up these lyrics to write them here, I stumbled upon the story behind the song. Check it out here.

Now, as I'm watching the dawn break over our marriage, I can rejoice in the fact that God hid us in the cleft, covered us with His hand, while He worked in the heavenlies and in our hearts. I'm not sure what our future will hold, but I face it confidently, knowing I can praise and glorify God for what He has purposed for us.