“Moses said, ‘Please show me your glory.’” Exodus 33:18
For those that simply write off the Old Testament as no longer applicable for today, I challenge you today to think again. I believe in the authority of God’s Word in its entirety. I believe that from cover to cover every word was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, therefore it is useful, practical, applicable, and beneficial. Out of laziness and old habits, I often times only run to the familiar parts of the New Testament for my quiet time, the parts that make me feel good inside, the parts that I can convince myself that I have a handle on. Does anyone know what I’m talking about? However, in doing that, I miss out on the beauty of God’s Word as a whole. Again, every part is inspired, every part is useful, every part is good, even the parts we don’t understand because it’s God’s Word.
So, today we find ourselves on the pages of Moses’ story in the book of Exodus. Many of you may be familiar with his story, and many of you might not. I challenge you to become familiar with it because it will rock your world. This man spent significant time in God’s presence. He heard God’s voice. He witnessed God’s power displayed in miraculous ways. He himself demonstrated God’s power working through his own life. He saw God’s glory.
Can you even imagine? The Bible tells us more than once that no one can see God and live, yet Moses not only lived his life in the nearness of God’s presence but also had the courage to make this unthinkable request: Show me your glory! If you know the story, you’ll remember that God reminded Moses that no one can see His face and live, so instead Moses saw His back. God literally covered Moses with His hand as He passed by to protect Him from seeing His face, but the mere sight of just His back was nearly too much for Moses to take in. But that didn’t stop him from asking. And that didn’t stop God from doing it.
I would suggest to you today that there is a crucially important lesson you and I can learn today from Moses on prayer. Do you ever think that our weak prayers sicken God’s heart? Seriously, think about that. The God who spoke the universe into existence, the God who parted the Red Sea, the God who healed the sick, and raised the dead, the God who sent His only Son in love so that we might be reconciled to Him…and we come to this awesome God with our weak and often petty requests, a list of things that we want, and in that failing to desire the greatest thing: His glory.
Today, I want to lead you in a prayer. Feel free to pass this prayer along to those you know. I encourage you to join me in praying this prayer for the church. God, show us your glory!
Father,
There is none like you. You are exalted above all the earth. You reign over all things. You are seated on your throne, and rule in power and glory. You are far more able to move on our behalf than our weak prayers would suggest. Forgive us, Lord, for our weak prayers. Forgive us for being so satisfied with so little of your presence. Forgive us, Lord, for not desiring your glory in our lives, in our families, in our churches. Lord, we come to you today with one request. Show us your glory. We want to see you, Jesus. We want your presence to be made known in our lives and in the lives of those that would call themselves your church. Bring down your glory again as you did to the Israelites in the Old Testament. Reveal yourself to us. We know that a life is forever changed when your glory is revealed. So we seek you for this one thing. We want to see you, we want to know you. Show us your glory, Lord!
Cherie you are so right about weak “general” prayers. How can God show us His glory when we pray weak prayers? We would never recognize Him answering them and therefore see His Glory and give Him thanks and PRAISE!! We exist to give Him Glory which He shines through us. “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, Who is the Spirit.” 2 Cor. 3:18.