Glory of God

In Exodus 33, Moses asks to see God face to face. God agrees only to let God's goodness pass in front of Moses, but would not allow Moses to see the face of God.

19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”(Ex. 33:19-23)

How often we want more - more from God, more from life. But Moses actually wanted more OF God - to know God better and experience God's glory more powerfully, more personally.

Sometimes we ask God for things that God knows we can not handle. When we earnestly seek God, we can trust God to put out a hand of protection, so we will receive, or see, the goodness we can handle rather than the glory we're not ready for.

Holy God, help us to set our hearts on you; that your ways would become our ways and your desires ours. Open our eyes, our hearts, and our minds to see your goodness each day. Protect us from ourselves and cover us with your gracious hand.