Exodus 33:18 – “And Moses said, ‘Show me Your Glory.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God, I saw the heart of the true shepherd. That heart is utterly self-sacrificing and unrelenting in commitment to the sheep.

In Exodus 32:32, after Aaron’s failure, Moses comes before God interceding for the people.   He was so committed to their welfare and survival that he put himself on the line trying to save them from judgment.  If this had been an attempted coercion, God would have rejected it. It was a genuine expression of the heart, and God honored it.

This led to the amazing request of Moses. Remember, he had seen the burning bush, the miracles in Egypt, and the miracles in the wilderness. He had witnessed the incredible power of God.   Now, in Exodus 33:18, he asked, “Show me Your glory.”  This is the pronoun (seautou) = yourself.  He asked for God to reveal Himself in His fullness!  He asked for a greater revelation of God’s person, nature, and character. Is that our craving?

God said, “I will make My goodness pass before your face.” Goodness, here is a word that refers to appearance. God is committing to honoring Moses’ request.  In verse 23, God says, “You will see My back.” This could mean “aftereffects” of God’s presence. It assuredly indicates the incredible brilliance of the presence and its effect. It brought Moses to another level in his spiritual development.

Romans 11-16 are powerful explanations of our relationship and personal responsibility spiritually.   Renewed minds enable us to see, and in seeing, we are able to do.  We lay aside the old and put on Jesus (the new) in our transformed state. We use our strength to strengthen the weak. We resist judgment (Romans 15:7) and accept others Just As Jesus has accepted us.

How that changes everything!  If we view others with the mind of Jesus, it becomes impossible not to love them and desire to help them. If I keep in mind God’s mercy to me, I find it impossible not to be merciful.

If we view life through the lens of God’s mercy and grace, life shifts from us, our needs, wants, desires, or opinions to the Kingdom of God. Our purpose changes, and the natural result is transformation! We (our flesh and carnal desires) die!  We nail it to the Cross.  Out of that experience, we become real manifestations and representations of Jesus.

LORD, show us Your Glory! Help us to SEE You, because as we see You, we are irrevocably transformed! I live, but not I; Christ lives in and through me!

Exodus 23:29-30 – “^I will not drive them out before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals multiply against you. ³⁰ Little by little, I will drive them out before you, until you become fruitful and inherit the land.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, I heard the word “Process.”   It was repeated multiple times.   Life is a process and a progression.

In Exodus 23:20-33, God gave directions and promises to Israel. All contingent on trust and obedience. He said that He would send hornets before them to drive out the inhabitants.  Then, a revelatory declaration came in verses 29-30.   There would be no instant provision, but a process of progressive provision.

Why? Because they weren’t capable of handling the fullness of the promise. It would be little by little, inch by inch, and day by day until they became fruitful.  As we mature and have capacity, God releases His blessings; otherwise, we will, in our unprepared condition, suffer because of the inability to tend the crop and care for the inner man. The wild animals (powers of darkness) will multiply against us.   Unprepared, we cannot steward the promise.   As we go through the process of development and maturity, we can handle more and more.   Then, God enlarges our tent and lengthens our borders.

If we are not being expanded, we need first to ask, “Why Not?”   Examine our condition, surrender what needs to be surrendered, and take action to prepare. We also need to realize where we could be by design and learn to bloom where we are planted. Rather than waiting until our ship comes in or our day to shine arrives, do what we can with what we have and grow into a more prepared condition. Never despise small beginnings.

How we view ourselves is a significant factor in our development and progress. If we see ourselves as unworthy sinners, we give power to darkness to dominate our lives. If we see the Finished Work of Jesus and believe that we were crucified with Him and raised to newness of life by and in Him, we progress in the process and become!

Romans 6:5-14 is revelatory! In Christ we have been crucified. Our flesh no longer dominates us, unless we fail to understand the Cross and believe we are poor sinners even after He has cleansed and transformed us. That is an excuse and an insult to Christ! That devalues the Cross. The Cross opens the door to complete freedom.

The process of grace-to-grace must be embraced. Romans 6:21-23 is powerful and liberating.  We are Free from sin and Enslaved to God. That means His blood and grace sanctify us, and the result is eternal life! Romans 6:16-18 reminds us that if we allow sin to dominate, we enslave ourselves to that nature, but that is not who we are “if” we are in Christ.

Through obedience and faith, we are free from sin and enslaved to righteousness. What we focus on, we become. If you see yourself as a sinner, you will be dominated by that nature. If you see yourself Free in Jesus, you will find the strength to live in righteousness. Who are you?

LORD, help us to embrace the process and wait patiently for you to develop us to the place where we can fully live in the call you have given!

Exodus 12:12-113 – “I will pass through the land of Egypt in the same night, and I will attack all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of humans and of animals, and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the Lord. ¹³ The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, so that when I see the blood I will pass over you, and this plague will not fall on you to destroy you when I attack the land of Egypt.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, certain aspects of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt captivated me.   In Exodus 12, the provision of life by the blood covering our house caused me to stop and think. God said, “When I see the blood, I will…”

I was reminded that nothing I could ever do would cleanse me or save me. Only the Blood!   Being a good or even moral and kind, benevolent person won’t save us.   It is Only the Blood of Jesus!   Once they left Egypt (Sinful Living), they had the cloud and fire with them perpetually. (Exodus 13-14).

The cloud was their guide in the light of day.  The fire was both a guide and protection in the darkness of the night.  (Exodus 13).   When the Egyptians closed in, the cloud shifted position.  It moved behind them. God is not only our guide but our rearguard.

In Exodus 17:6, there is a revelatory statement.  One I have overlooked previously.   It exploded in my heart as I read, “I will be standing before you there on the rock in Horeb, and you will strike the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people may drink.”

Think about the Cross.  The Father was standing there on Golgotha’s rock, and Jesus was struck.  From that sacrifice flows the water of life.  But never lose sight of the reality that the Father is there to ensure the completion of our redemption. He loves us that much.

I suggest that thought gives new emphasis and understanding to the Ten Commandments. These are not restrictive taboos but expressions of Love and invitations to fellowship. They are keys to liberty and freedom. They are planks in our wall of protection. They are weapons to silence the enemy. They are all realized as we grasp the power of desire! If we desire God with our entire being, He fills us so completely that nothing offered by the world or demanded by the flesh has any power.

God’s dealings with and providing for Israel give a foundation for confidence in Him and assurance of His dependability. Trust is the natural outflow!  Lord, help us to have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to believe! The old song, “I surrender all,” is ringing in my heart right now! Lord, we plead the Blood!  We desire to follow Your Cloud and rest in the Light of Your Fire!

LORD, help us to see and receive the Blood of Jesus!

Genesis 42:8-9 – “Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. ⁹ Then Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, some thought-provoking things filled my consciousness.  In Genesis 42, we have an account of Joseph meeting his brothers for the first time since their treachery.  Here in verses 8-9, we are informed that he recognized them, but they did not recognize him.  Then it says, “Then Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them.”

I find it interesting that such a compelling dream would have been forgotten.  Maybe it was not forgotten, but as with delayed words from God, put on the back burner.   You can’t make them happen, and over time, they lose their luster and fade from our consciousness.   We no longer pray about them or make preparations to receive them.   They are just another wishful word, not a life-changing force.  The word or dream from God is still that, but how we treat it changes.  It no longer guides our conscious decisions.

Joseph’s remembering set a whole course of events into motion. His remembering guided his actions. He tested them and conditioned them.  In the second encounter, he revealed his identity and set the stage for them to embrace the dream.   Genesis 45:3-7, Joseph made an astounding statement of trust: “God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.”

Wait a minute.  Who sent you to Egypt?  Your brother sold you as a slave!  Joseph’s trust in God, remembrance of the dreams, and hope in the covenant of Abraham enabled him to see life from a divine perspective rather than a “woe is me” attitude. He demonstrated what Paul learned: contentment because of confidence in God.

In Genesis 50, after Jacob died, the brothers concocted a plan of self-preservation. Joseph’s response was a revelation of his revelation of God and covenant. He said, “Don’t worry! I’m not blaming you. I don’t justify your wrong, but God engineered this. You intended to end me. You meant it for evil, but God had a plan you could not stop! We are all part of His promise to Abraham.”

Would to God that we could cease making every event about us and see God’s bigger purpose.  Those dreams, visions, and prophetic promises you have received are to be landmarks and road signs, not fanciful wishes.  Every event of our lives provides an opportunity to become!  Those troubles you are begging God to deliver you from may well be the honing stones to prepare you for the greatness of His purpose.  They may be designed to shape you, so you have the capacity and insight to take the next step.  It is not about us!

God will turn every tragedy into triumph, but first shapes us so the triumph doesn’t puff us up and destroy us.

LORD, help us to remember the dreams and visions you have birthed in our hearts!