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Exodus 33:18 (ESV)
18  Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”

We live in a society where people always want more. More money. More stuff. More power. More prestige ad influence. Preachers want more people, more tithes, more programs and more buildings. so many want more. More of everything except one noticeable thing. How many want more of God.

Moses did. He hungered for more of God. So much so he asked God to reveal more of His glory. Moses did not content himself to know more about God. He yearned to know more of God. To walk closer with Him. To commune closer. To experience more of Yahweh.

Contrast that with the casual attitude most people approach private and public worship. There is very little hunger. Hunger for more of Him. We hunger for all sorts of temporary things. Things that will not last and never satisfy. God satisfies the deepest cravings of our souls. He fills up all that is missing in our lives. He is what we hunger and thirst for. Moses understood this. He still wanted more.

Think about it. Moses had so many incredible encounters with God. He had the boring bush experience in [Ex 3:1-14]. He had a front row seat to watch God judge Pharaoh and Egypt in Exodus chapters 7-12. In [Ex 14:9-22] God parted for the Red Sea and defeated Pharaoh forever. The Israelites grumbled in the desert at Marah because the waters were bitter. God made them sweet in [Ex 15:22-25]. He gave them rest in Elim [Ex 15:27]. He supplied the heavenly bread called manna in [Ex 16:1-21]. Don't forget the revelation of the 10 Commandments in [Ex 20: 3-17]. God did other things too.

On top of all that Moses hungered for more. He wanted more revelation and fresh encounters with the living God. Do we? I know we gather for worship and study but do we truly hunger for more of Him. Do we content ourselves to fill our notebooks and yet not fill our hearts with fresh experiences with Him. Head knowledge will never satisfy. We must have heart knowledge.

God told Moses he could not see God's face and the fullness of His glory or Moses would die. God let Moses see the backside of His glory. He hid Moses in the cleft of the rock. O that each of us had a cleft from where we may experience more of God. To behold more of His power and more of His glory.

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai the countenance of his face shone. He had a glow. He radiated with the glory of God. His encounter with God lingered. It became evident Moses had been in God's presence. O that we would have the desire to know God more fully and to experience Him more than we ever have before. More of His glory. More of His presence. More encounters privately and publicly. Lord, please let us know you more and experience a greater revelation of you. In Your name Jesus, I ask it. Amen.

I Don't Wake Up Angry Anymore

She walked with a noticeable limp when she came in. She did not have use of her left arm. We were introduced and she wasted no time telling me her testimony. She spent a long time bedridden after a very active and successful life due a bad turn in her health. This beautiful, active, successful lady got reduced to a bedridden patient without the ability to communicate. I understand she used to sing and traveled extensively doing so. Doctors did not know if she would ever walk or talk again. She asked God to restore her ability to walk and talk and committed her life to serve Him. I understand she had not been devoted to serving Him before that. And that is exactly what she is doing. She is letting her light shine for Jesus and speaking to others about Him.

Testifying. Encouraging. Praying. Creating videos for people. She commented that God had not completely healed her yet but at least she does not wake up angry anymore. This lady radiated pure joy. Her countenance did not portray anger nor bitterness. I am sure deep down she wishes she had full use of her arm and leg but that is not stopping her from being effective.

There are many trials and setbacks in life. It would be easy to grow bitter, sullen, and lose all joy. The Bible is filled with people who suffered. If anyone had a right to be bitter it would be Joseph. Sold into slavery by his own brothers, falsely accused of sexual assault, thrown into prison and worst of all the haunting dreams he had as a young man about his future success. That must have tortured him as he sat in the prison for two full years.

Joseph did not sulk, give up or lose his joy. In fact the Bible says about him repeatedly that God was with him and he was shown favor in Potiphar's house and in prison. That is a remarkable statement. Sure Joseph must have been frustrated. Wouldn't we? Yet God was with Him.

In the darkest hours, in the hardest times, in the most painful seasons God does not abandon us. He is with us. He is there to provide strength, hope, joy, peace and perseverance. The lady I met has found God with her even in her physical challenges. She mentioned God had not fully healed her yet. I take it she believes to be fully restored. I find myself believing that for her as well. That is not too difficult for God. If the healing never comes God is still with her just like he is with us.

He is with us when our hearts are broken, our reputations are slandered and the slippery slope of trials leaves us on shaky ground for a season. He is with us at the final stages of life. He is with us in victory as well as defeat. He is with us during the nights of weeping as well as the mornings of joy.

In Joseph's life, not only was God with him, but God showed him favor. He excelled in what he had to do. He bloomed where God allowed him to be planted not knowing or understanding God's design behind all of it. I take it Joseph maintained joy through all his circumstances. I am not saying he liked it. I am certain he did not understand any of it. I am saying he did not let all the adversity sour him.

There are plenty of sour people. They wake up every day sour and angry about life. They don't like the things that have happened to them. They even get sour at God. If you know the story of Joseph you know that overnight Joseph went from prison to the palace becoming second in command of all of Egypt. God can do anything He wants. We don't know how it will turn out for us until God has the last say.

It is our job to be faithful where we are and in what we are going through. It's our job to keep trusting God even when we don't understand. It's our job to let the joy of the LORD be our strength. When we do that maybe we too can say, "I don't wake up angry anymore."