Then Moses said, “I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!” (Exodus 33:18 NASB)
God answered this prayer. Why? To tell you the truth, only God can address that question. Moses, no doubt, had entered a confused state. God sent Him to deliver the people of Israel from bondage and now God wants to abandon (after choosing not to destroy) the people He saved. Moses's heart experience of God stirs dissonance within - something does not measure up - so he seeks clarity. He prays. He expects a response. When the answer comes, Moses, quite frankly, experiences mind-blowing amazement in mystery. God confirms His character. The dissonance disappears into clarity. Compassion and love characterize God at a depth heretofore unapprehended by Moses. The response transforms him (Ex. 34:29).
Desire. I stand stricken by Moses's desire for God and God alone. Moses had a huge task fraught with immense difficulty and he did not seek a solution. He sought God. The hunger within crescendoed as the confusion mounted in his circumstance. "God I hunger for You! God I need to know You. Show me Your glory." Moses desired God alone, nothing more, nothing less. Prayer bridged the gap for Moses into a rich experience of God leading to knowledge and transformation within his heart. Often I seek something much less than God in prayer. Frequently I want to use God to achieve my ends. Here I am challenged to seek communion with God, to desire Him alone and to meet Him alone in prayer.
For Reflection:
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NAS95)
- What would you say about the level of your longing for God? What in your desires indicate a hunger Him?
- What motivates you to seek time with God? What do you expect from your daily times with Him? How do these align with desiring God?
