Then Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory!” (Exodus 33:18, NASB)
I have never shot my age. I long to do so before I turn 70. I have come close several times over the past couple of years and have had plenty of rounds in the 60s in my younger days. But, I have not broken 70 for a few years now and time is running out. I only have a few months left and quite frankly, it’s probably not going to happen.
What do you long for most? Is it for the pandemic to end? Perhaps it’s for political unity? Some may long for relief from chronic pain or healing from a health-related issue. Still others might long for financial security. Do you long for “the good old days”? My wife and I often counsel people who long for a more fulfilling marriage. Most of us are longing for a loved one or friend to come to a saving faith in the Lord.
Many of those same longings find their way into my prayers. Indeed, Scripture tells us to pray about everything. However, looking to the “hand” of God to answer my prayers can be confusing and even discouraging at times. So I’m learning to look to the “heart” of God in my prayers.
Exodus 33 has inspired my quest and I commend it to you. It is a powerful chapter that whets my longing to know God more deeply. In this face-to-face encounter, Moses asked of God to know his ways, his favor, and his very presence at every step. In a culmination of Moses’ longing, he boldly asked God to “show me Your glory!”
Moses didn’t hold back, and neither did God!
What did Moses want exactly? He wanted to know the greatest aspects of God’s nature, his attributes, his very essence in a more intimate way. Moses was not satisfied with what he had seen so far. God honored this desire, promising to demonstrate his goodness, his graciousness, and his compassion, while also proclaiming his name. Moses didn’t hold back, and neither did God!
When I meditate on Exodus 33, I find my prayers are changing to reflect Moses’ bold request. They are prayers God promises to fulfill as he tells us in Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
The more I see things around me moving away from God, and the longer I wait for him to answer my ongoing list of prayer requests, I find myself increasingly seeking to know God’s very character more deeply. My prayers are reflecting this longing for his presence in my life and to reflect his glory in the way I live each day.
What do you long for? Do you want to increase your longing for the things of God? Do you want to seek the one true Lord God Almighty of the Bible ? I urge you to ask the Lord to reveal himself to you in a deeper way. God longs to answer that prayer in our lives!
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Marty Jacobus
April 20, 2021
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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