"Then Moses said, 'I pray You, show me Your glory!'" (Exodus 33:18 NASB)
Moses and the Israelites had been in the desert for a long time. They were all growing rather impatient...actually, they were all really sick to death of wandering in the hot sand and eating manna. The people complained incessantly to Moses; Moses complained to God. God listened. Luckily for the Israelites, Moses found favor with God, causing God to spare the Israelites...one more time. During one of the Tent Meetings (Exodus 33), God and Moses had a heart-to-heart conversation something like this:
GOD: Get these people out of here now. And I won't be going with you because they are driving me crazy. I just might destroy them all if I stay with you any longer.
MOSES: You told me to lead these people out of Egypt. And now we're wandering and you won't let me in on Your secrets about what comes next. These people are driving me crazy too! If you still love me and want me to lead them somewhere, do something about them. And let me in on your plans so they will know that you still love me and them.
GOD: Okay, because I love you so much, I'll go with you and the people ... again.
MOSES: That's good, because if you don't go with us, we aren't taking another step. Besides, you promised that these were your chosen people. How can we believe we are special when you abandon us in the dessert?
GOD: Moses, you are very special to me. I'll do what you ask. Name it, and it is yours.
MOSES: Wow! Okay then. Show me your glory.
GOD: Now Moses, if I really let you see my full glory, it would kill you. But I'll pass before you now and cover your eyes so you can experience the fullness of my glory and not die.
And with that, God—in all His Glory—passed before Moses, veiling his eyes so that Moses would live. As Moses' eyes were opened again, he had the amazing honor of seeing God's back as He passed by revealing Shekinah—being in the ultimate presence of God's Glory. In fact, the whole scene was so powerful that Moses' body radiated brightly from just the "aftermath" of God's glory. The people had to cover their eyes when they saw Moses!
The story continues for many more years, unfortunately, as the Israelites continued to struggle with trusting God in everything. Yet, Shekinah never left their presence. Moses fully understood God's unconditional and intense love, even for a group of people that exasperated Him nearly every moment!
God's love is as unconditional, as passionate, as faithful today as it was thousands of years ago. If He could love the Israelites in spite of their whining, bickering, thievery, adultery, idolatry, etc., then surely He can still love you and me. In fact, that's what God is about—Love. No matter how badly we screw up, He still loves. No matter how horrible the sin, He still forgives. No matter how often we make the same mistakes, He continues to wipe our slate clean so we are, once more, worthy of experiencing Shekinah in our daily lives.
Do you feel like God's love is out of your reach? Are you able to love others? Or, do you find it nearly impossible to love and be loved? No matter how far you remove yourself from the love of others, you will never be out of God's reach. His loving arms are always open to you. Always! No matter how much you push others away, you can't push God away. No matter how long you avoid the risk of a relationship, God still watches over you praying that you will take that first step toward Him. You see, nothing you can do will ever make God go away. You may feel like He's not there, but that distance is you walking away from Him. God will never walk away from you. Ask Him to show you His glory today; He will! And, you will radiate with a glow that just might make others around you put on their sunglasses! Your life will never be the same once you take that first step into Shekinah.
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