Show Me Your Glory

Over the last couple weeks I've been reminded of God's glory and what that even means for us as believers. Recently I have been directed to Exodus 33 and specifically the parts where Moses is speaking directly with God. He comes before Him and asks for His presence or His face to go along withhim. Otherwise Moses and the Israelites have nothing to set them apart. Moses asks boldly of God: "Show me your glory!"

And the Lord agrees, although he qualifies it by saying he must cover his face, because no one can see His countenance and live. What are we to make of that? It's not so much that God is completely against all people, because in fact he was well pleased in Moses. But He is so wholly good that he cannot even be in the presence of any amount of evil or brokenness.He is so weighty that we cannot possibly look at him and live.  We don't mix. We can't mix. Unless something changes...

Like the hymn Rock of Ages says the Lord becomes a cleft for us, because just like God does here he protects us and covers us with His defenses. 

It's been a crazy thing to think about how God reveals himself to His people. In scripture it was in a burning bush or even in a whisper like with Elisha. Or even in the amazing creation that is around us each and everyday. But as humans do we even have even a small infinitesimal amount of understanding what the glory of God is? Can we even begin to understand this weight of glory? C.S. Lewis seems to suggest we do not in his essay "The Weight of Glory." What we experience and the things we idolize are "only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited." 

We just haven't quite gotten it and we probably never will, because based on the text it would probably kill us. Thanks be to God that we have Jesus Christ who through His death and resurrection tore the veil that separated us from God. Now we have access to the God of the universe in all his weighty, awesome, exorbitant amounts of splendor. 

Taking this into account, a prayer I have for myself is that God would "Show me His Glory." And in all honesty I don't really know what that will look like everyday, but my hope is that he might reveal Himself more fully to me each day. Maybe it's His creation. Maybe it's the things he's doing in me or the people around me. Maybe it's something completely different than I could never ever imagine in my wildest dreams. Who knows. That's my prayer. I want to know his Glory. 

It says in Exodus that when Moses left talking with the Lord his face was literally radiant. That is awesome. As I continue to ruminate on this topic this song by Third Day has really spoken to me.

All the glory to Him and Lord, Show me your Glory. 

"Show Me Your Glory"

I caught a glimpse of Your splendor
In the corner of my eye
The most beautiful thing I've ever seen
And it was like a flash of lightning
Reflected off the sky
And I know I'll never be the same
Show me Your glory
Send down Your presence
I want to see Your face
Show me Your glory
Majesty shines about You
I can't go on without You, Lord
When I climb down the mountain
And get back to my life
I won't settle for ordinary things
I'm gonna follow You forever
And for all of my days
I won't rest 'til I see You again
Show me Your glory
Show me Your glory
I can't live without You