Walking With Christ

Exodus 33:18–23 (18)Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” (19)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.”(ESV)

If you need encouragement today, walk with me for a moment. I recently told a colleague, “It’s only by looking back at the path that I can see His hands.” I would almost be willing to bet that nearly everyone reading this thread can look back on their lives and see God’s work in their lives. But have you ever stopped to consider what that truly means?

Read the passage again. Slowly. Moses sought God. He asked to see God’s glory and God answered, but He said that no one could see His face and live. To protect Moses, God put him in the cleft of a rock—a tight, confined space. Imagine being in a spot like that: unable to move, unable to see, and even knowing you were covered by God’s hand it would be easy to panic. Yet, that small, confined, tight space was where God kept Moses safe while His glory passed by. It was only after He had passed that He removed the covering and allowed Moses to see His glory.

The same is true for us. In those tight spots in life, when we feel confined, overwhelmed, or isolated, God may be covering us for our good. We works in ways we cannot see, shielding us from what we are not ready to or capable of facing.

Next time you find yourself in a tight spot, don’t look for Him with frustration or fear. Instead, praise Him then listen for His response. Trust that He is at work and He may just be covering you while His glory passes before you. And when the spot has passed and you have been uncovered, look back. See His footprints, His fingerprints, His mercy, grace, and love through that situation. See His mercy in the covering, and His love in the outcome. Then sing louder, knowing that He has been with you every step of the way.

God’s love shields us as He works, and His glory will always be revealed. Amen!