Day 5: Glory to Glory
Today I would like to focus on Moses' prayer of five simple words, “Please, show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18) God answered and hid Moses in a little cleft on Mt. Sinai and covered his view until He stood before him. God removed his hand and allowed Moses to view Him from the back. After this, Moses so greatly resembled God’s brilliance that he had to wear a veil over his face so the Israelites could look at him.
The Hebrew word for glory is kabod, meaning abundance, rich or heavy. God’s glory is God’s weightiness in wonderful qualities such as might, beauty, goodness, justice, and honour.
Having witnessed all he had of God, Moses wanted more; he wasn’t settling for past experiences, but more than anything else, he wanted God’s presence.
The Lord promises him, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (v.14) This is what God promises to you. Moses says, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” (v.15) Moses would rather die in the wilderness than to go on without the Lord. We need to be worshippers who declare the same. When Moses had spent time in the Presence of the Lord, “his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord” (34:29)
This is the background to Paul’s extraordinary words in 2 Corinthians 3. Paul says that we can enjoy something far greater (though more subtle) than Moses experienced. We can be even bolder than Moses “who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away” (v.13) Paul writes, “Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:16–18) God’s manifest presence, the power of the Holy Spirit within us, makes experiencing kabod possible. When we pray, "Lord, show me your glory," we're actually praying, "Father, reveal to me who you are." And if the Lord does give us a revelation of his glory, it's a revelation of how He wants to be known by us. Paul is telling us, Once you get this revelation of God's glory - of his love, mercy, grace, long-suffering and readiness to forgive - the Holy Spirit will continually open your eyes to more of these aspects of his nature and character. You'll have an ever-increasing revelation of God, in the way He wants to be known to you!
Lord, Thank you that we are all created for your glory. I pray as we enter this new season and we contemplate, behold, and commune with You, that we are transformed, resulting in us reflecting You to all we encounter. From glory to glory! Amen.
Reflect and Respond
“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Prayer Focus
