More of His Glory Is Always Available

A powerful thought just occurred to me in reading Exodus 33. Do our prayers often get limited by our own false understanding of what God is like? Do we see him as a begrudging old man who only gives us a few cents for candy every now and then and only when we've been good boys and girls? Or do we see Him the way the Bible presents Him: generous beyond our own understanding?

I think its time we get our facts straight about God in this regard. For too many of us are living substandard lives in Christ because we think God is not interested in doing more for us than we can imagine!

Look at this two verse exchange in Exodus 33 between Moses and God:
Exodus 33:17–18 (ESV) And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”

This is God answering Moses' prayer to go with them into the promised land right after He almost divorced them. God had told them He would surely destroy the people because of their stiff-necked ways and then gives them an option - to go into the land WITHOUT Him! The people repent and Moses intercedes strongly saying "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here." (Verse 15). Moses presses further: "Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?" (Verse 16). God relents. And then God answers Moses' prayer in the above verse.

You would think Moses would be satisfied with the answer to prayer. God is going with them, he can relax and move on.

Nope. Moses goes for more... More of God than he has ever seen, "Show me your glory." The word for glory represents the "weightiness" of a person. We say, "That person carries a lot of weight around here." That's the Hebrew idea for glory. It is a level of respect and honor that comes with certain important people. Moses says to the God of the Universe: "I want to see that!"

Does God respond with, "Now now Moses, do not press your luck! I'm still angry with the people and I need to cool down?" NO! God is NOT LIKE US! That's probably His best quality! He tells Moses, "OKAY! The answer is yes!" And then God goes to work to answer this prayer for Moses:

Exodus 33:19–23 (ESV) And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

God does all the work necessary to make sure Moses gets to see as much as possible of God's glory without killing His friend Moses. Moses isn't asked to work for this, he doesn't have to pass a religious test. God does everything so that Moses can enjoy the show safely and securely. 

This is the God of heaven! He WANTS to show us more of Himself. He wants to reveal who He is to us! Jesus came, John says, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14 (ESV)

Notice the high priestly prayer of Jesus before the cross:
John 17:24 (ESV) Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Wherever you are in the faith, new or long time saint, you must believe it: God wants to reveal more of Himself to you than ever before. He wants to be bigger than you've ever known Him to be in your life.

Do you have the audacity to ask?

Because He is NOT stingy!