Swimming in the pool, walking on the beach, playing games—a vacation with children is rarely without activity. However, with the kids now tucked in bed, my husband and I settled on the couch to watch a little television.

We soon found ourselves riveted to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, watching as the crew built a house for a family who had faced the ravaging effects of a tornado. The team was rebuilding the home and tailoring it to fit the family’s newfound needs. In an effort to protect her most precious possessions, the mother had lain on top of her two children and taken the brunt force of a fallen beam. Having been their “covering,” she was now confined to a wheelchair.

Moses once experienced the covering of God Himself. Intimately acquainted with the One who had called him out of the wilderness, Moses was desperate for God’s presence. He had been to the top of the mountain with God (Exodus 19:20), and he longed for communion.

Assured by God that He knew him by name, Moses responded, “Then show me Your glorious presence” (33:18). God agreed to “make all [His] goodness pass before [Moses]” (33:19). Knowing, however, that Moses could not see all of His glory and live, God placed him in the cleft of the rock and covered him with His hand.

In this moment, God revealed the wonder of the cross. He desires our love and fellowship. But He also knows our humanity in all its sinfulness. His glory will not allow Him to commune with anyone who has not been covered through a perfect sacrifice. In the extravagance of His love, He became both revelation and covering for us. Because He is our provision, we can stand in His presence without fear of destruction.