This morning I am reading from Exodus, reading about how Moses used to meet with The Presence of the Lord. That is such an amazing thing, and yet Moses was hungry for more of God, and asked to see His Glory. Here are the verses - Exodus 33:8-9, 11, 18-23 NIV:
[8] "And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. [9] As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses.
[11] The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
[18] Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
[19] And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. [20] But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
[21] Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. [22] When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. [23] Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
I love the fact that Moses was not satisfied in his relationship with God, but wanted to know Him more. He wanted to understand Him, and knew that there was more to experience. This is one of the things that should be true of us all, that we hunger for more of God. His desire is that we know Him, and it pleases God when that is our prayer. We can never know God fully, but we can continue to grow in our experience and knowledge every day.
Like all relationships, revelation comes through interaction. Moses was blessed to interact with the Lord regularly. In the same way, the Lord invites us to meet with Him regularly, as it is in that place where we will grow in our understanding of Him. That is what times of prayer, times of quiet, times where we turn our hearts and minds towards God are designed to do, namely to help us know Him. It is through interactive communication, both speaking and listening that we can grow. God allowed Moses to speak to Him, as one friend speaks to another, and that some invitation is available to us all. Since Jesus has come and fully opened the way to the Father, since the Holy Spirit resides within us, and Jesus us with us, we all have the same ability to speak to God as one speaks to a friend. We don't have to be some great leader or prophet, for we are all equally sons and daughters of Him.
So let us reflect on our relationship with God. Are we longing for and desiring more of God in our life? Are we spending time with Him daily? Are we able to speak with Him as with a friend? Are we satisfied with our relationship? My prayer is that we would all develop a deep unquenchable desire for more of God, and pursue Him every day of our lives!
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