Moses said, "Please show me your glory." And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.”
Exodus 33:18-19
Is Moses being presumptuous with this request? After all, hadn’t God been manifesting His presence constantly since Israel left Egypt? A pillar of fire and cloud had been with the nation since God had freed them. That in and of itself had to be awe-inspiring. I know it is not what I see in church visibly every day. But Moses knew there was more. The cloud and the fire were manifestations, but not the entire picture. Moses longed for more of God.
God grants the bold request of Moses. Even after all of Israel’s struggles, Moses is faithful. And God is faithful to Him. God answers the desire on His own terms. Moses would see the good glory of God, but God would hide him in the crack of a rock face, cover the leader with His hand, and only allow the back of God’s glory to pass before Him. That would suffice. God was allowing this because He chose to be gracious and merciful to Moses. Moses did not somehow deserve this. God was being gracious in allowing Moses to live through this experience.
At the heart of Moses’ request is a desire for intimacy with God. He did not seek to gain from the experience. It wasn’t so that he could manipulate Israel with it. He longed to be closer to God. He met with God in the tent of meeting. He received God’s revelation on the mountain. He saw God lead through fire and cloud. And all that revelation left him wanting more! That is the way it is with the heart that longs after God. It always needs more.
I must continue to commit to regularly looking to God’s Word. It is when I see His glory in its pages that my heart is pulled toward Him. It is when I know Him leading me in that way that I long for more. All too many times I am content with just a couple of minutes in my morning. God wants to graciously give me more. And my heart needs to be burned with the desire for more. The passion of Moses for the glory of God should become my desire as well.
Lord,
Burn me up with the strong fire of wanting You! May I look and long for Your glory until it is all that I want in my life!
Amen
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