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."
