And
the LORD said unto Moses, I will
do
this thing also that thou hast spoken:
for
thou has found grace in my sight,
and
I know thee by name.
Exodus 33:17 KJV
For four hundred years, the Israelites
remained enslaved in Egypt. In their oppression, they prayed to God for
deliverance, and God answered their prayers through mighty miracles and a man
named Moses. I cannot imagine the rush of emotions that consumed their spirits
on the long walk out of Egypt and across the dry bed of the Red Sea. Fear!
Excitement! Curiosity! Longing for a better life! All of these must have been
on their minds.
Then, the desert happened; manna and
quail! Complaining! Whining! Wishing to return to the familiar though painful
existence of Egypt and bondage!
But Moses remained faithful. He pitched a
tent of meeting outside the camp. The LORD met with him there, “face to face as
a man speaks with his friend”. (Exodus 33:11) As the LORD instructed Moses
regarding his leadership of the Israelites, Moses made a bold request. “Now
show me Your glory.” (Exodus 33:18)
Moses believed God, trusted God and obeyed
God. Moses knew God! He found grace in the eyes of the LORD and boldly asked
God to show him His glory. God answered with a resounding YES!
It is easy to get lost in the daily
battles of life. Health issues, family struggles, financial decisions,
complaining, whining, and just plain busyness can take a heavy toll on our walk
with God. It is also easy to lose oneself in the fight against evil. We can do
battle with good intentions and great boldness and yet never really know our LORD.
It takes time to know someone as Moses
knew the LORD. Because Moses invested time with the LORD, he found the favor or
grace of the LORD. I want that. I want to know God above all else. I want to
make sure that in my zeal to accomplish the “good” things I work towards, that
I do not neglect the one thing that matters most; truly knowing my God.
In order to know God, I must spend time
with Him. It cannot be five minutes a day as I rush out the door or a prayer of
bless my church, bless my pastor and bless my family. In order to know God, I
must study His Word and spend time with Him; not only speaking to Him but
listening and waiting as He speaks to me. That is the way of friendship. That
is the way I truly get to know someone. That is the way I can have a face to
face, friend to friend, relationship with my God.
It is said that Susannah Wesley, mother of
John and Charles Wesley and seventeen other children, found time every day to
pray for each of her children by name. She would sit down in her kitchen and
pull her apron over her head, and the children knew not to disturb her. Beneath
her apron, she anchored her life in Christ.
I am convinced that despite the troubles
of living, despite the rush to get here and there and despite the busyness of
our modern era, I am really no different than Moses or Susannah Wesley. I must
choose to know my God. I must choose to spend time alone with Him. I must
choose to cultivate our friendship. I must choose obedience rather than
rebellion, love rather than hate, and joy rather than sorrow.
I want to know God. I want Him to be able
to trust me with His plan for my life. I want others to see Jesus in me. I want
His favor—grace to see His glory. What kind of relationship do you desire to
have with our Heavenly Father? If you know Christ as Savior, I would suspect
that like me you too desire grace to see.
©JP2013
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