Beauty Established and yet to be Seen

Realistically, we all want to be beautiful.  No one desires a challenged appearance, an awkward personality, an obvious scar, or unsightly struggle.  We fear rejection, loneliness, an undesirable outcome in life that is less than our expectation.  We endeavor to accept the beauty in the challenge of daily living.  Life can be treacherous and exhausting.  We can see the loveliness in a lingering sunset, but fail to notice the beauty of our circumstances or our very existence.

Under the sculptor’s sharp tools and careful precision, clay or stone, void of polished beauty, have immense potential.  To the average observer, the natural esthetics lack character and luster.  Yet, from the heart of the creator, the beauty has already been recognized.  The process, while vigorous and timely, will birth beauty.  Beauty established and yet to be seen. 

Regarding trials and pain, A.W. Tozer writes, “A sculptor does not use a manicure set to reduce the rude, unshapely marble to a thing of beauty.  The saw, the hammer and the chisel are cruel tools, but without them the rough stone must remain forever formless and unbeautiful.” God’s tools in shaping the human heart can seem cruel at times.  When rubble is what is left from a devastating relationship, a dream ended, or a sudden tragedy or loss, it’s difficult to pick up the broken pieces and notice their worth.  Hardships can be seemingly impossible to process, learn from, and embrace.  Our trust can be shaken and unsteady.  Yet, in God’s providence, the rubble is the necessary result of His magnificent creation in process.  The rubble isn’t the goal, however.  But, the waste is necessary for beauty to be permanently formed.

When we endure hardships in faith, eternal purposes are being refined.  We must yield to the process and not lose heart.  Trials come for our good.  Although painful and not always pleasant, within God’s sovereign hand of perfection, a harvest of righteousness and peace is available for those who are shaped in and because of the struggle.

God’s designs are always perfect in every way.  They are beautiful!  We are called to endure His shaping with steadfast courage while He cares for our every need throughout the journey.  God forever sees beauty in His creation.  It has already been established.  We are beautiful!

 

Enlarging Room in My Heart

I have always been a busy person, filling my days with seemingly needful activities and checking things off a “to do” list.  Being actively productive brings me joy.  But, I also like to spend time alone being quiet and still.  I gain strength from being alone thinking, pondering, re-focusing, organizing my thoughts, writing things down, reading, studying, praying.  Productive, nonetheless, yet different. 

In recent years, I’ve had to learn a greater depth in being alone, when quiet seems more like an enemy than a friend.  And, in the quiet solitude, my activity has grown to enlarging room in my heart for God to be with me.  He’s always present, but the space I create for him grows, so my relationship with God grows.  I’m still learning, of course.  It’s been difficult, but I’m grateful for the fruit of this process in my life.  I know myself better, I know God better, and I know my purpose better.  I’m learning that God values me over what I do and the room I create for him in my heart is never large enough.  

Consider a pond.  When looking into the water and things are calm, you can see clear down to the bottom.  You’ll see rocks and pebbles, a little fish or a frog may scurry by.  Moss lazily sways in the current and you may even see an old can or shoe.   But the calm surface can be disturbed quite quickly when a rock is thrown in, a dog bounces along, or a group of kids join in some fun.  The surface of the water changes drastically with the movement and the clear view is obscured and cloudy. 

In writing about the practices of St. Francis in The Lessons of St. Francis, the author, John Michael Talbot, compares our lives to a pond.  When things are calm, we can see clearly and detect the slightest movement.  Pleasant things may be in clear view, but as well, discouraging wreckage may appear.  When things are unsettled, everything seems murky.  It’s hard to detect the lovely or the ugly.  Yet, even a clouded pond doesn’t quite depict what we may feel on most days.  Talbot writes, “For most of us, life is more like a kitchen blender, its engine humming, its blades purring, and its motion making a puree of the elements of our fast-paced, turbulent lives.”  Can you relate?  Comparing my life to a quiet scene near a pond seems like a fantasy at times.  Sadly, the blender is more realistic.        

Because our goal in life is to draw near to God, to know him better, and to hear his voice, quiet, stillness, even solitude have their purposes in a disciple’s life.  Of course, Jesus is our example as He stole away to find places to be alone with the Father to pray.  And, the example of Mary and Martha in the familiar story in Luke 10:38-42 teaches us about spending time doing the needful thing, sitting with Jesus, and hearing his words. 

We have to be careful because the enemy of our soul uses the world’s noise to clutter our lives with the unnecessary and keep us from what is truly needed.  Our hearts and minds can be so noisy, even with good things.  We can be preoccupied with the superficial at the expense of what is truly meaningful.   

Using Mary’s and Martha’s examples, consider the following:

Our desire should be to spend time and listen to the guidance of Jesus.  Mary sat to hear the words of Jesus.  Before her was a treasure, she embraced him, not knowing there would be another moment the same.  She was all in.

As Jesus was willing to walk into the house to immediately speak and teach, she was immediately present to hear.  She paid close attention, to catch every word, to receive all Jesus would give.  Her mind was resolved to listen.  If we are willing to spend time at Jesus’ feet to hear his word, we show him we are ready to receive it, and the word becomes our treasure and joy.    Being still before Jesus is a necessary part of a disciple’s life.

Martha’s actions were commendable for her respect in providing a well-planned meal for her Lord, yet while attending to all the details for Jesus she was distracted with the service she was so willing to provide. 

Our service to the Lord can distract us from what is truly needed.  Her service was good and needed, but being encumbered by the duties was sin.  Martha could have arranged for a simple meal and concentrated on what was most important, sitting with Jesus.  But, her duties overwhelmed her.

Jesus reproved Martha and exposed her unnecessary busy-ness for being careful and troubled about many things.  The many things she was troubled about were needless, while the one thing she neglected was needful.  Distractions are an enemy to growing disciples, if we are weighted down with them.  Mary’s example reveals the quiet, roomy heart, of a disciple at peace in the Lord’s presence.  For Mary, the needful becomes the better choice.  Martha’s service to the Lord, in the proper time and place, was good, but something awaited her that was unspeakably more needful.  Other things have their place, but they also have their time.

Our world divides our hearts.  Distractions become necessities and we find ourselves far from God’s intended purposes.  We must practice separating the needless from the needful.  When we do, we make room for the Lord in our everyday activities.  Jesus becomes the greater choice among the myriad of choices available to us each day, even in our busy-ness. 

At the end of our lives, what will be most important to us?  I’ve had the privilege of observing the priorities of two special people in my life at the end of their lives.  Suffering from terrible diseases, they knew their days were few.  What were their highest priorities?  Conversations with family, words of encouragement to those they’d leave behind, and hearing the Word of God.  Their hearts laid bare would not be satisfied with anything of this world.  Embracing true riches, their closing proclamations were witnessed by those who loved them most on this earth.  God’s Words, His comfort, His peace were all they needed, until the end came.  What awaited them in heaven?  Exactly what they enjoyed in their last moments on this earth, sitting at the feet of Jesus with emptied hearts for Him to fill with treasures we can’t even fathom.  The needful serves them well now. 

Like Mary, our hearts should leap to choose the needful, the better thing, the better business, the better happiness, the better way of honoring Jesus, the better way to please him.  The needful is always better, and all it took was a decision and a quiet soul. 

“The soul that is growing in holiness is the least lonely when it is most alone.”  Father Andrew

Enlarging the stillness of our heart for Jesus to fill just doesn’t happen on its own.  Growth takes intentionality.  Cultivating quiet, stillness, solitude into our schedule gives reasonable conditions for the garden of our hearts to expand.  Our desires, our service, our choices become better because we’ve made room for the Lord to lead us, teach us, love us.

It was common in Jesus’ culture for a rabbi to attract students.  They didn’t necessarily teach in a classroom setting.  Most were instructors who walked about while disciples followed them through the normal activities of their daily lives.  Jesus did this.  He traveled from place to place teaching and attracting people.  Luke 6:1 – “One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain fields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels.” 

Picture this . . . a beautiful, warm, sunny day with a slight breeze blowing across the grain fields.  Jesus is leading the way, carving a footpath among the stalks, talking, chatting about the day, teaching truth, allowing his fingers to brush against the tall grain, stopping only briefly to pluck the heads of the grain.  His friends followed behind him, doing as he did, listening, observing, imitating, enjoying his tutoring, and simply happy to be in his presence.  What a day, spending it with Jesus! 

I want to be this kind of disciple.  Following Jesus throughout my day, learning from him, listening to his teaching, doing as he did.  Being so close to him that I’m watching his every move, listening to his still small voice, resting at his feet, making room for him in the vast space of my cluttered heart, not losing sight of my purpose in him, even with the distractions around me.  Savoring every moment with my Savior, expanding the arena of my heart just for him.  I want to be this kind of disciple.

 

 

 

 

Listening Ears

I’m on a kick lately about “hearing” what God is saying to me.  Because when I know I am hearing Him, I’m more settled in the situations I find myself.   I think all of us struggle with and long to hear with ears to hear; either for our families and personal lives or our professional and ministry lives.  Hearing is a huge component of our daily living and our relationship with God.  Familiar truths we know speak to this; God’s sheep hear his voice, the Lord hears our cry, whoever has ears to hear, let them hear the word of the Lord.  We speak to God, God is speaking, God is listening, and we need to listen, we need to hear.  And we want to be those people mentioned in the parable of the sower who have ears that hear. 

Four days before my husband Brion passed away nearly four years ago, I needed to take him to treatment.  His worsened condition prevented him from receiving his treatment, and he needed a platelet transfusion instead.  Leaving one facility to go to the next, the oncology nurse was very tender to my need, helping me get Brion into the car.  For at this point in his disease, his eyes were swollen shut and tumors filled his ears so he couldn’t see or hear well. 

We drove to the busy hospital to meet with his physician.  I was concerned because I’d need a wheelchair to get Brion to the hospital, but this busy hospital meant parking was a challenge and I might need to leave Brion in the car for an extended period of time.  I couldn’t drop him off at the entrance because I didn’t want to leave him alone, unattended in a public area.  His outward appearance was quite frightening.  As I drove into the parking lot, God spoke to me and told me where to park, in a small, side parking lot to the hospital.  I never parked there because there were only a few parking spaces.  I looked and didn’t see anything, so I headed for my usual area of the multi-level parking structure, talking to God the entire time.  That area was packed as well, so I went back out to the small parking lot and there was a woman leaving her spot at the nearest parking space available.  I couldn’t believe it!  God had directed me there.  He was speaking; I needed to listen. 

That parking space meant so much to me.  I was able to leave Brion in the car for only a few minutes as I ran to the hospital to retrieve a wheelchair that happened to be right inside the front doors of the lobby.  I knew that was “his” wheelchair.  God was providing.  As I wheeled Brion to the hospital, God spoke so clearly, almost audibly, “The words you hear today are my words.”  I pondered this meaning as we rode the elevator and waited to see the doctor.  Praying incessantly, I trusted that what was said today was going to be meaningful.  After reviewing Brion’s blood work numbers, his caring, gentle doctor said, “Brion, do you think it’s time to stop treatment?”  I knew in my heart, these were God’s words. 

I was devastated for Brion.  We had been through so much, hoping and praying for a miracle.  Without that miracle, this could be the end of the weary road of treatment and man’s best efforts.  Brion pondered his answer for several minutes as we waited for his reply.  He finally said, “I guess so.”  My heart was already broken.  How could it break even more?  Yet, it did.  Brion and I both knew that God could do anything.  Healing could still come miraculously, so this we prayed for continually.  But, we also trusted that God is Sovereign and Holy.  He has the final say.  In silence, we left the doctor to receive the transfusion.  Brion slept.  I sat and watched him sleep, allowing the words for this day to permeate my thoughts, hopes, and dreams.  Life as I knew it was crumbling all around me.  Again, God’s words spoke to me through a nurse.  She was a Christian and stopped by just to see how I was doing.  During her very busy day, she probably spent an hour with me talking about life, death, and God.  Her words were God’s words.  God was speaking to me.  I was listening. 

I was so needy, felt lost and broken; I desperately needed to hear God.  And God was speaking.  What he was saying, Brion and I didn’t want to hear.  We had persisted in prayer for what we wanted and hoped for and what His Word says to pray for.  Yet, God was speaking.  I heard Him, Brion heard Him, and God’s words continue to bring me comfort and peace; not because I like what God said, but because I heard Him speak.  I am so thankful I listened that day.  In His speaking voice, God revealed Himself to me in a profound way.  That day is permanently imbedded in my heart.  God spoke, and I listened.   

In The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer, he writes, “. . . it is the nature of God to speak, to communicate His thoughts to others.”  “. . . God is forever seeking to speak Himself out to His creation.”   

God’s eternal words are forever loving and living, and speaking.  It’s not that God spoke and men recorded his words and we read them as they are past.  God speaks continuously.  The world is filled with his voice.  Tozer says, “. . . the expression of the will of God is the breath of God filling the world with living potentiality.  The voice of God is the most powerful force in nature, indeed the only force in nature, for all energy is here only because the power-filled Word is being spoken.”

In John 6:63, Jesus said, “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”  Tozer writes, “The life is in the speaking words.  God’s word in the Bible can have power only because it corresponds to God’s word in the universe.  It is the present Voice which makes the written Word all-powerful.  Otherwise it would lie locked in slumber within the covers of a book.”  God is constantly speaking and His words are powerful and persist through the years; years past, present, and future.

Sometimes I don’t want to hear what God is speaking to me in my daily life.  Because what He might be saying isn’t pleasant, “Turn to me, you have made a mistake.”  “Apologize, you are in the wrong.”  “Take the high road, repent, humble yourself, deny yourself, be less, don’t defend yourself, allow me to be your advocate, be still, trust even when you don’t see . . . “ And the list continues. 

When we embrace and live out Truth, we hear what God is saying.  But, if the answer isn’t what we desire, we may ignore or turn our face away from God speaking.  We wish for another answer. 

We may be praying for healing, for freedom, for answers, for more, for what we want.  But, if nothing comes of our groaning and persistence, what must we conclude?  God is still speaking.  We have to hear God’s truth and allow it to change our circumstance by its power, even when the answer hasn’t come yet or isn’t the answer we seek. 

Sometimes familiar truths seem too simple to be the answers we seek in prayer.  However, they speak and really are the most powerful at times – God is present.  God loves me.  God is my comfort.  His peace no man can understand, yet it sustains me.  Who God is, speaks.  His character speaks.  We must listen. 

Through my personal need of being completely dependent upon God in prayer, I have found and God has proven, a life steeped in prayer, hears. 

God’s speaking voice is a fact, but some don’t want to hear.  In observance of those who believe in the sciences over faith, Tozer points out that there are people who are more likely to explain than to adore.  Even so, the Voice of God sounds and searches for hearers.  Faith adores.  Eyes of faith, hear.  

Tozer explained that we’ve all had moments “when it seems like the clouds were rolled back and we saw and heard for ourselves, God’s speaking.”    But he says, possibly, this is because of God’s “persistent effort to communicate with mankind.”  So maybe we hear because of God’s persistent grace more than our obedience to listen.  I wonder what our ears would hear if we walked in life-altering obedience?

Listening ears, hear.  Listening is a discipline and not a popular one.  Listening requires stillness, quiet, allowing the other person to talk and for us to be quiet, not pushing our agenda.  As God’s people are facing great conflict he says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”  Psalm 46:10.  God still speaks these words to us today. 

Tozer says in reference to Psalm 46:10, “. . . he says it, as if he means to tell us that our strength and safety lie not in noise but in silence.”  God is not silent and never has been.  God’s nature is to speak.  Are we being quiet long enough to listen at all? 

Hearts seeking wisdom, hear. 

In chapters 1-4 in Proverbs we learn:  Don’t reject wisdom, there are benefits of accepting wisdom’s instructions, wisdom bestows well-being, and we should hold on to wisdom.

Proverbs 4:7, “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.  Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”

Proverbs 3:13-18, “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she (speaking of wisdom) is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.  She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.  Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.  Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.  She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.”  Oh, that we would have ears tuned to wisdom’s voice.

Tozer writes, “If you would follow on to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible expecting it to speak to you.  Do not come with the notion that it is a thing, which you may push around at your convenience.  It is more than a thing; it is a voice, a word, the very Word of the living God.”  Wisdom is found only in the One who is wise.  May we hunger to gain understanding and depend upon and listen to God’s words as they speak.

A life steeped in prayer, hears.  Eyes of faith, hear.  Listening ears, hear.  Hearts seeking wisdom, hear.

I close with Tozer’s prayer for us . . . “Lord, teach us to listen.  The times are noisy and our ears are weary with the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault them.  Give us the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to thee, ‘Speak for thy servant heareth.”  Let us hear thee speaking in our hearts.  Let us get used to the sound of thy voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of earth die away and the only sound will be the music of thy speaking voice.  Amen.”

 

Abide in Thankfulness

Recently, I tried in prayer to only give thanks to God and ask for nothing.  Quite quickly, I realized how complicated thankfulness really is!  After my third mistake of turning thanksgiving into asking, I started to laugh.  My mind pictured Jesus and I laughing together on this one.  My heart was there, truly.  But, with the news of a devastating diagnosis for a friend, concern for a family member, and the gaping whole of loss in my own life, my sincere mission to end my day praising God for Who He is, ended in desperate pleas for help.  I know our Father understands and asking for help is what we are supposed to do. Still, why the struggle to remain focused on thankfulness?

Generally, thankfulness raises my expectations.  In contrast, dwelling on difficulties diminishes my hopes.  Often, I find it hard to stay thankful when the challenges of a day, the weariness of an important relationship needs attention, a reminder of loss raises its ugly head, or a valid need gives me much to think about.  My mind wanders upon the comfortable ground of self pity, and the result?  Sometimes complete despair. At the least, a separation from faith-filled joy and peace. 

I don't want to live as a bottom dweller, dashing my hopes and dreams for God's purposes for me and others upon the bedrock of disappointment.  My thoughts matter and if unbridled, I live in diminished hope.  And, most often, while living low, thankfulness resides on a distant horizon.

But, haven't you experienced this?  When a new day is dawning and the birds are singing, thankfulness rolls off the tip of your tongue?  It reminisces over our heads all day long.  How then do we remain on the mountaintop of thankfulness amidst the earthly problems we live with, day in and day out?

"A thankful mindset does not entail a denial of reality with its plethora of problems.  Instead, it rejoices in me, your Savior, in the midst of trials and tribulations."  An excerpt from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.

I find that when I am thankful for the beauty of my relationship with Jesus, life's lows aren't so important.  Jesus is lifted up in my heart and mind.  Reminded of my true purpose, I can sing, rejoice, and live on a higher plain.  Jesus becomes grand and troubles shrink.  Hope is renewed, restored, and resounding.  Thankfulness raises my expectations for me and for others.

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."  2 Colossians 2:6-7

Living our lives in Jesus, being grounded and growing in him, strengthening our faith, not only remaining thankful but overflowing with thankfulness, we gain a greater understanding of what it is to live for and because of Christ.  Troubles will still come our way, but we remain constant, steady, strong in Jesus.  Thankfulness roots deeper in our souls and reveals consistent growth.  

A great life goal would be to abide in thankfulness.  Just think of the possibilities!  An eternally lifted heart, thankfully proclaiming the magnificence of Christ in your life.  I want that.  I need that. 

Display Meekness

The morning of my visit with my grandchildren started out a little rough.  My granddaughter skinned her knee on my back step.  I quickly found out, she had not experienced that caliber of a scrape before.  Most of the day, she nursed her wound with a damp towel to ease her suffering and kept the weight off of her leg.  Consequently, our planned outing to a coffee shop, lunch, and ice cream, turned into more than I had hoped for.  Without her agreeing to walk, my arms became very full doting around her and her baby brother.  Hunger set in and the two of them quickly expressed their sincere desire to eat, right now!  The stroller wouldn’t open (or close for that matter), perfect strangers helped me understand modern engineering, and a walk to our lunch spot was quickly halted because everyone was frustrated.  The drive-thru was my friend this day, until the ice cream to-go spilled in the cardboard carrier and the fast food attendant was rude.  Patience had waned, justification had set in, and my attitude was glaringly apparent.  My thought to the attendant was, “You have NO IDEA what has just happened here!”  After four trips to get everyone and everything back into the house, lunch was served.  An hour and a half in the making, it was nap time, for me!

The burden of that small part of my day was not light.  It was physically, emotionally, and spiritually challenging.  It reminded me of how easily and quickly something great can turn into something so difficult.   And, how easily I can allow my pride and wrong attitude to give me permission to act just like anyone else in the world and not guard my heart and actions in difficult moments. 

Matthew 11:28-30 reads,  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Emphasis mine)

By the time I had run through the drive-thru, I practically snarled at the attendant when her actions didn’t ease my situation.  I felt justified in not being polite, to not respond with gentleness and humility of heart.  But that’s not Jesus.

In the Beatitudes we learn in Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”  This is what Jesus expects for members of his kingdom.  This should be our character on display.  But, in our own strength, this standard is too high and unattainable, except through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

This meekness refers to our disposition before God, referring to humility.  Before God and because of God, the predominant attitude of my heart ought to be meekness.  The tendency of my heart should not be frustration and pride, but gentleness and humility.  That is meekness as character strength. 

Read Psalm 37.  Meekness trusts, commits, rests, and is confident.  Meekness is strength.  As we cultivate faithfulness that trusts, joy that delights, surrender that commits, patience that waits, hope that brings confidence, the spirit of meekness will be a fruit of our character.  We are called to walk by the Spirit, be controlled by the Spirit, thus cultivating a spirit of meekness. 

As I drove home with the kids in the van, my focus was on myself, and my burden was heavy.   I was certainly weak.  Meekness depends on the Holy Spirit to bring peace and rest for the soul, a strength that can only exist in Christ.  “Jesus, help me to learn from you.”    

All Things in One

I just don’t think that the world is going to get less cluttered or demanding or less needy anytime soon, possibly never.  The chaos in society, the demands on family and marriage, the schedules we have to keep up with, the many needs that surround us, our personal tragedies and concerns, can bring confusion, exhaustion, and a lack of true purpose.   We can even live day to day in a false reality, being occupied with the superficial and setting aside that which is truly meaningful. 

The older I get, the more dissatisfied I become with the routine of pressure.  I’ve figured out why.  When I’m quiet before the Lord, when I spend time in solitude and simplicity of thought and worship, when I look up Scripture and trace the connected thoughts of biblical themes and hidden truths, when I ask God questions about what he has said, I’m at peace.  When I still my soul, the noise of my mind and circumstance decline to a whisper, as the resounding triumph of God’s love increases in intensity.  Pursuing God always brings freedom. 

Even still, I seem to desire the world’s distractions at times.  Success, recognition, fairness, personal goals, wants and desires, entertainment and fun, companionship and friendship all clamor for my attention.  However, the longer I go without what Laurie wants, the more desperately I need God to fill my life with His presence. 

I love this picture portrayed in Exodus 33.  Moses, as God’s leader for His people the Israelites, had grown in his recognition and desire for God’s presence.  Previously, in his burning bush experience, God’s presence caused him to be afraid to look at a holy God.  Now, he boldly asks to see God’s face, His glory unveiled.  Moses says, “Now show me your glory.”

In order to lead God’s people, Moses desired God to teach him His ways.  He needed a full, complete understanding of the God he served.  He longed for the benefit of God’s presence.  He hoped for God’s favor.  In The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer writes, “Moses used the fact that he knew God as an argument for knowing Him better.” 

The Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.  When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.  Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back:  but my face must not be seen.”  God’s face would be leading the way for Moses, and the radiance from this holy beauty would be enough.  God declared, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

What did Moses need to know God better, to continue his purpose in leading God’s people?  He may have felt he needed lots of things; in his humanness, I’m sure he had a list like I do.  Yet, in reality, and by his request, all he needed was God’s presence and His glory shining upon him.  All he needed was the face of the One he knew intimately.

Tozer says, “. . . that some will find that lonely place and pray Moses’ words, ‘O God, show me your glory.’  They want to taste, to touch with their hearts, to see with their inner eyes the wonder that is God.”  This was Moses.  This is me.  I hunger to see God.   Oh, to dare to desire Him as He is; just like Moses, through the paradox of boldness and humility.

The greatest treasure we can hold in this life is to be in the middle of God’s glory and presence, to recognize His splendor, and be held safely in the cleft of this world as His holiness shines upon us.  All of God, all for us.

Tozer writes, “The man who has God his treasure, has all things in One.”  My cry is for God to enlarge my heart to be still, at rest, as the distractions and pressures before me fall to the background of my life as God’s glory eternally shines around my existence and consumes my longing.  All things in One.

Psalm 105:4 - "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always."

Psalm 27:8 - "My heart says of you, seek his face!  Your face, Lord, I will seek."