The greatest forms of vision are not cast when we understand all that is taking place or when we assume we clearly see the future. It is cast when we are taken to a place of isolation where we are unable to see any natural indicators or solutions for the issues we are facing. A willingness to go to this higher place is a turning point for a person of faith, especially one who is called to lead.

When Moses stood at the base of Mount Sinai, the Lord told Moses what would happen when he ascended the mountain to receive instructions on how to lead the people of Israel. “I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so the people themselves can hear me when I speak with you. Then they will always trust you” (Exodus 19:9).

It is in this higher place where several things take place. The word “thick” describing the cloud that would surround Moses on the mountain top is also described as “dense.” The cloud was so thick and dense that someone would have a hard time seeing the next step or even seeing their hand in front of their face. The Hebrew word used here for “thick” is defined as a thicket of safety, a place of refuge where we are protected from outside influences that might interfere with what the Lord wants us to see or hear.

In the density of the cloud is where true vision is cast. That kind of vision is above all our most eloquently crafted mission statements, levels of education, values clarification, and previous game plans. Those things are crafted at a lower elevation outside the cloud where in our own wisdom and willpower we can make things happen that appear to be studious and informed but are not the word of the Lord. In times of fear or confusion, it is tempting to descend to a lower elevation below the cloud and try to find our way. That descent is where destinies are aborted and people are led astray.

What his time in the cloud gave to Moses was a word from the Lord. The word of the Lord is all that is needed to lead us and those who follow our lead no matter how simple and unsupported by natural evidence that word might appear. Only a word from God can faithfully lead us when our best plans have failed, or we encounter the perils of a personal wilderness journey. 

The thick cloud required communication loud enough that Moses could be heard by the people as he communicated with God.  Hearing that kind of communication helped the people put their trust in Moses’ leadership. To this day, the sound of that kind of conversation is the hallmark of a model of leadership God uses to accomplish the impossible.

“Then the Lord told Moses, go down and prepare the people for my arrival” (19:10). The preparation that is needed to lead God’s people and not have them go astray, can only be discovered in the blinding density of a cloud of God’s glory. We cannot enter that place by human intellect. We worship our way into that cloud of glory where we will hear things not thought possible until the presence of God has blinded us to all other options.