Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
Exodus 33:18 NIV
Have you ever wondered why certain aspects of your life remain unclear? The answer might lie in the extent to which you actively seek divine guidance. I mean the extent to which you obey Christ’s instruction to ask God for anything and everything in His name. Often, we let circumstances dictate our course. We fail to tap into the boundless wisdom that God is ready to bestow upon us. While we may want to rejoice knowing that we can call upon the Lord, make our request known to Him and wait in the hope that He will answer and grant our request. However, there’s a crucial insight revealed in His response to Moses. I realised that God wants us to grasp an important issue, one that sheds light on the nature of our personal relationship with Him.
If God had only said to Moses: “I will do this thing also that you have asked”, it would seem to me that anyone can just walk up to God, ask whatever he wants, and God would do it. However, the situation is not like that, therefore, God did not fail to point us in this critical direction.
“…I will do this thing also that you have asked, for you have found favour, loving-kindness, and mercy in My sight and I know you personally and by name.
Exodus 33:17 AMPC
God promised to grant Moses’ request because he found favour, loving-kindness, and mercy in God’s sight. Additionally, God knew Moses personally and recognized him by name. The NIV renders it as follows: “…I will do the very thing you have asked because I am pleased with you, and I know you by name.”
I realized that Moses was not unaware of this great privilege that is available to him before he approached God; he knew very well what God was saying about him, and we can see him making this declaration in the beginning of his prayer:
Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favour with me.’”
Exodus 33:12 NIV
Moses had been with God and maintained a right standing before Him. So, he knew clearly and his able to quote without making mistake that which God has been saying concerning him. He did not come to God as a stranger, but as one who has a personal relationship with God. Their relationship was so close that God could attest to it, saying, “…and I know you personally and by name.”
How do you think you can receive anything from God? Especially the answer to your prayer. This is possible only if you have a relationship with Him. A relationship where He knows you personally. If God is not pleased with you, how then do you think your prayer can get His attention? How can you find His favour, loving-kindness, and mercy unless you repent of your sins and ask for forgiveness?
Meanwhile, the privileges that are available in having a personal relationship with God is limitless. “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24 NIV). Such is the height that God can bring anyone who would remain in His presence. Anyone who would maintain a personal relationship with Him and stay in His favour and mercy. Anyone who would not make himself an alien before the Lord can experience this kind of blessing.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) is able to accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].
James 5:16 AMP
What a great blessing to know God and be known by Him personally. So, Moses asked that God may journey with them into the promised land, and God agreed. He was proud to reconfirm His relationship with Moses. While I expected Moses to be fully satisfied with God’s response and to postpone any other request until some later time. However, Moses’ next prayer shows that a man in a personal relationship with God has unlimited access. There is no rate limiting; there is no limit to the number of requests that can be made over a period.
God personally knowing a man and the man possessing a personal knowledge of God are distinct aspects. Moses had heard God several time, he has especially heard God told him: “I know you by name and you have found favour with me.”, yet there’s still a longing in his heart; there is still more of God he has not yet known. Therefore, he seized this opportunity and he asked: “Now, please show me your Glory.” It is amazing how God responded to this request.
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. But” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
Exodus 33:19-20 NIV
No one can look upon the unveiled glory of the God and live; He dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see (1 Timothy 6:16). Despite this reality, God did not deny Moses’ request; in fact, He did not rebuke Moses for asking such. He again promised to grant this request. However, He refrained from revealing the totality of His glory to Moses, fearing it might consume him. Nevertheless, He assured Moses that he would witness a portion without harm. It wouldn’t matter if any man had made a similar request before. When a person is willing to engage with God appropriately, nothing shall be impossible. Consider the greater privilege available through Christ Jesus, even if such a request was possible in the Old Testament.
For here is eternal truth: When that time comes you won’t need to ask me for anything, but instead, you will go directly to the Father and ask him for anything you desire, and he will give it to you, because of your relationship with me. Until now you’ve not been bold enough to ask the Father for a single thing in my name, but now you can ask, and keep on asking him! And you can be sure that you’ll receive what you ask for, and your joy will have no limits!
John 16:23-24 TPT
One of the reasons why you might not yet realize what God wants you to do is because you haven’t asked Him; you haven’t actively sought to know how He wants you to live. Don’t let situations and circumstances run your life. Perhaps you asked a few times and stopped. No, you should never stop asking.
It is essential to understand that it is an undeserved privilege for God to commit Himself to listen and answer us when we call upon Him. The name of Jesus provides us with unlimited access to heaven, a tremendous blessing of grace. We cannot undermine or take for granted this great gift. It is not just enough to ask once and stop; we are to ask until we receive. So, when you need direction as you journey in life, do not fail to go before the Lord and ask for it. Meanwhile, do not leave the ‘key’ which is the name of Jesus behind. Then you can be sure, according to His promise, He will answer you.
In conclusion, let your prayers be guided by a personal relationship with God. Seek His will above all else, align your motives, and persistently ask, seek, and knock. Those who earnestly seek Him will experience the true promises of God and witness the revelation of His glory. May your relationship with Him deepen, unlocking boundless joy and divine favour.
