Show Us Your Glory

For months now God has placed this prayer upon my heart: “God, show us Your glory.” This week God brought me back to the words of Moses’ as he approached Him after His chosen people had sinned by worshiping the golden calf. This was perhaps the lowest moment and time of discouragement as he led the people in the wilderness. He poured out his heart to the LORD and said in Exodus 32:32 that if He would not forgive their sin that he wanted his name to be blotted out of the book of life. That was true intercession, compassion and humility! God did not disappoint him and promised that His Angel (Jesus) would go before him as he declared judgment upon them. God called them a “stiff-necked people” and instructed them to remove their ornaments as a sign of humility.

In Exodus 33 it is recorded that God ordered Moses to resume their journey as He decided what to do to them. Moses had seen God’s power and might demonstrated all throughout the journey of the Israelite Exodus from Egypt. The ten plagues the LORD struck Egypt with are just a few of the numerous supernatural experiences Moses experienced. Now, more than anything he was hungry for God’s presence and His voice. As was his custom he went to the Tent of meeting—the Tabernacle of the congregation outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the Tent, all the people would arise and stand, everyone at the door of his own tent, and look at Moses until he had gone into the Tent. After Moses entered, the pillar of cloud which was the Presence of God would overshadow it and He would speak with Moses. When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the Tent, they all rose up and worshiped. Moses revealed his desire to not only know His power but to also know His character. He said in verses 12-13: “You say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet you have said ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My eyes.’ Now, then, I pray, if I have found grace in Your eyes, show me Your ways, so that I may know You, so that I might find favor in Your sight. Consider also that this nation is Your people.” God promised Moses that He would go with him and give him rest.

Moses then asked God to “Please, show me Your glory.” In Exodus 34: 6-7 the LORD passed before Moses and proclaimed the attributes of God: 1. Compassionate 2. Gracious 3. Slow to anger 4. Lovingkindness 5. Truth 6. Merciful 7. Forgiving 8. Punishes the guilty 9. Judges iniquity upon the 3rd and 4th generations. Psalms 29 declares God’s glory and strength, the glory of His Name, the God of glory thunders, His voice is powerful and full of majesty, and all in His Temple say “Glory!” God is on His Throne and the LORD sits as King forever and gives strength to His people and blesses His people with peace!

We all face difficulties, and are in need of the inner confidence that believes God is with us, no matter what. Our cry to the LORD should be “Lord, show us Your leadership and mercy, we cannot go forward without Your presence.” Like Moses, we have seen the miracles of God in our lives. However, before a major breakthrough comes, God wants to reveal again His character to us. If we want to know God’s character and witness His glory, we need to remain humble. We must practice humility in the Presence of God as Moses did. If we long to see God’s glory in our lives, we need to be ready to pay the price of death to our own ambitions and choose instead to live for Jesus alone. God will deliver us from our bondages just as He did with Moses and will use the very challenge we face to raise up a blessing in our life. It is only when it is beyond our ability to save ourself that He receives the glory for rescuing us. May we see God’s glory in a mighty way in this nation and in our personal lives! God is the Father of Glory! “For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:1) “When Jesus, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory! (Col 3:4) God, let us see Your glory and know that You are real, that You have a plan, that You are in control and that You love us! Amen and Amen.