The Moment

“Then Moses said, ‘Now show me your glory.’”  Exodus 33:17-18

At some time in our lives we all need a moment—not a mere time-out to catch our breath but a monumental encounter with God that changes us for good—a glimpse of God’s glory.  It’s an experience we always treasure and ever remember. 

There came a time in the midst of the desert when Moses needed a moment, and, by God’s grace, he got it.  

The golden calf debacle made God mad and Moses sad, and the people faced consequences of death, plague, and drinking water mixed with powdered idol.  When all this was over, God said, “Get a move on, but I’m not going,” and Moses responded with, “If your Presence isn’t leading, I’m not leaving.”  The crisis led to a fascinating conversation in which God agreed to go, and Moses asked to see God’s glory.  “The Lord said to Moses, ‘I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.’ Then Moses said, ‘Now show me your glory’”(Ex 33:17-18).

Moses had seen God’s might.  He had experienced God’s power.  He had just been promised God’s presence so why did he ask for more?  Moses didn’t doubt that God was real, so he wasn’t looking for evidence; he simply desired a glimpse of God’s glory—an intimate, personal, monumental encounter to always treasure and ever remember, and, by God’s grace, he got it.

Safe in the cleft of a rock, covered by the very hand of Holiness, Moses trembled in thrilled terror as the glorious goodness of the Lord passed by and God proclaimed His precious name.  “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished”(Ex 34:6-7).  Then God removed His hand, and Moses saw the beautiful, brilliant back of our holy God.  Wow!

God knows there are times in the midst of our days when we need those moments, and by His grace, we get them too.

I’m not saying I’m like Moses, but my moment was also on a mountain.  I was seventeen—a recently graduated high-school senior about to head to college and start a new chapter.  Through the blessing of Godly parents, I had heard of Jesus early and received Christ as a child, but God knew I needed an intimate encounter to move my focus fully to Him and to make a memory that would always bring me back to the basic of life—His glory.  

I stood at dawn by the flower-boxed window of a charming chalet high in the Swiss Alps.  In the twilight coolness, I heard the clop of hooves on cobbles as milk was delivered to a nearby cottage. I heard the muffled clang of cow bells as lumbering beasts grazed the dewy hillside, and I heard the still, small voice of a very big God speaking softly to my heart through the scenery and His Spirit, “Be completely mine.”  Awed and amazed, all I could say was, “Okay,” and watch in utter and absolute astonishment as, at that exact moment, brilliant rays of gilded light soared from behind the high peak in front of me, streaking toward heaven with a golden glow more celestial than I had ever seen.  In splendid triumph, the sun burst over the summit, streaming brightness and beauty into the valley below and straight into my softened soul.  Without doubt, it was a moment where God in His grace gave me a glimpse of His glory, and I’ve never been the same.

Eventually Moses came down the mountain back into the everyday of life, but he was different because he had been changed for good by a glimpse of God’s glory.

In the face of Christ, we’ve been given way more than a glimpse, but God still sends those moments, when we need them, to soften our hearts and show us His beauty and brilliance in such a special way that we simply can’t stay the same.

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God!”