Show Me Your Glory

Glory (n):

1. exaltation, praise, or honour
2. something that is worthy of praise
3. pomp, splendour
4. radiant beauty; resplendence

"'[Moses speaking] You said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.' Now if I have indeed found favor in Your sight, please teach me Your ways, and I will know You and find favor in Your sight. Now consider that this nation is Your people.'

Then He replied, 'My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'

'If Your presence does not go,' Moses responded to Him, 'don't make us go up from here. How will it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your sight unless You go with us? I and Your people will be distinguished by this from all the other people on the face of the earth.'

The Lord answered Moses, 'I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.'

Then Moses said, 'Please, let me see Your glory.'"

--Exodus 33:13-18

The Lord revealed these verses to me last week while I was searching my Bible for something else. I never found that something else, but that's perfectly fine. These verses captivated me and have become my heart for Guatemala. 

I trust that the Lord is going ahead of our team, preparing not only our hearts but also those of the people we will encounter there. I also believe that He has a grand plan for this trip, though I'm not yet privy to what that entails (not that I am ready for any such details anyways). I'm excited for what He has in store and I am trusting that He has already gone and still is going ahead of us. I would not have any inclination to go if that was not the case (you know, the whole "apart from Me you can do nothing" thing). 

Also, I like the reminder that God knows us by name. While He is speaking directly to Moses here, there are plenty of other verses that back that fact up as well (John 1:12, anyone? I'm grateful to be His daughter!). Wow--can you believe the living God, the One who created everything, from the depths of the oceans to the loveliest and most delicate flower, knows you and me by name? And even more than that, He was executed so that you could know Him too. Pretty amazing and humbling, huh? 

My greatest interest of these verses, though, is Moses' bold request: 'Please, let me see Your glory.' I love it. I love that Moses asked that of our God. Based on the above definition (I defined it because glory is one of those Bible words we throw around without really knowing the meaning), we see that Moses is asking to see God's radiant beauty, His splendor. I can't even begin to fathom that. But if you continue reading, you will see that God grants that request by passing in front of him. He even had to protect him while He did so (He explains that no one can see His face and live). And Moses' face shone radiantly after this encounter with the God of the universe.

While I am not expecting that kind of face-to-face encounter with my Father (though there's no reason to rule it out, either; I mean, He's God. He can do whatever He wants), I am praying that His glory will be revealed on this trip. I desire for His Spirit to fill each of us and send us out to minister to His people. I don't have a clue what that ministry will look like or how He plans on using us, but I pray that His glory will resound in that place as a result of what He's doing there. I'm honored to be a part of it.

Today, I will be joining with my other teammates in Chattanooga to begin training for our summer in Guatemala. In just a few short hours, I will be saying good bye to the last of my biological family and hello to my sisters and brothers in Christ who will make up my team, people who I have not actually met yet. And honestly, I am a bit nervous. But I know that the Lord has called these people on this trip, that He has assembled this team by His will and desire; I have faith that the relationships He forms between us will have beautiful, unbreakable bonds. 

We fly out of Atlanta on Tuesday. I probably will not be able to update the blog again until I'm in Guatemala, but I ask that you would continue to cover our team in prayers. I look forward to sharing with yall the details of our first few days. Thanks for reading and praying! Know that I am lifting you up as well.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Your sister,

Meg