Scriptures: Exodus 33:11, Exodus 33:18, Psalms 8:3-5

See His Glory

The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. (Exodus 33:11 NKJV) 

Moses makes a request of God. “Show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18 NCV). “Show me your radiance,” Moses is praying. “Flex your biceps. Let me see the S on your chest. Your preeminence. Your heart-stopping, ground-shaking extra-spectacularness.” 

Why did Moses want to see God’s greatness? 

Ask yourself a similar question. Why do you stare at sunsets and ponder the summer night sky? Why do you search for a rainbow in the mist or gaze at the Grand Canyon? How do you explain your fascination with such sights? 

Beauty? Yes. But doesn’t the beauty point to a beautiful Someone? Doesn’t the immensity of the ocean suggest an immense Creator? Doesn’t the rhythm of migrating cranes and beluga whales hint of a brilliant mind? And isn’t that what we desire? A beautiful Maker? An immense Creator? A God so mighty that He can commission the birds and command the fish? 

“Show me Your glory, God,” Moses begs. 

We cross a line when we make such a request. When our deepest desire is not the things of God, or a favor from God, but God Himself, we cross a threshold. Less self-focus, more God-focus. Less about me, more about Him. 

One glance at the skies—night or day—reveals the heart-stopping, extra-spectacularness of God. His might is immeasurable and infinite. Doubt and fear would say we are nothing in the midst of such immensity and power. God says, You are seen and you are Mine. So if you ever feel afraid of being lost in the enormity of it all, remember this: 

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:3–5) 

God’s Promise to Me: God is infinite and all-powerful. He is also personal. He sees, knows, and loves me.

Scriptures: 1 Samuel 17:47, 1 Samuel 17:48, Psalms 34:4

Take a Swing at Your Giant

The battle is the Lord’s. (1 Samuel 17:47 NKJV) 

David . . . runs toward the army to meet Goliath (1 Samuel 17:48). Goliath throws back his head in laughter, just enough to shift his helmet and expose a square inch of forehead flesh. David spots the target and seizes the moment. The sound of the swirling sling is the only sound in the valley. Ssshhhww. Ssshhhww. Ssshhhww. The stone torpedoes through the air and into the skull; Goliath’s eyes cross and legs buckle. He crumples to the ground and dies. David runs over and yanks Goliath’s sword from its sheath, shish kebabs the Philistine, and cuts off his head. 

You might say that David knew how to get a head of his giant. 

When was the last time you did the same? How long since you ran toward your challenge? We tend to retreat, duck behind a desk of work, or crawl into a nightclub of distraction or a bed of forbidden love. For a moment, a day, or a year, we feel safe, insulated, anesthetized, but then the work runs out, the liquor wears off, or the lover leaves, and we hear Goliath again. Booming. Bombastic. 

Try a different tack. Rush your giant with a God-saturated soul. Giant of divorce, you aren’t entering my home! Giant of anxiety? It may take a lifetime, but you won’t conquer me. Giant of worry, fear, doubt … you’re going down. How long since you loaded your sling and took a swing at your giant? 

There are days we feel surrounded by giants. Insecurities and doubts and worries flood our minds and leave us shaking. But no giant is a match for our God. When our ears ring with the bellows of giants, take a swing at them by remembering this: 

I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4) 

God’s Promise to Me: God is greater than any giant in my life. Nothing and no one can defeat Him. Because He fights for me, I can live free.

Scriptures: Matthew 8:24-26, Mark 4:38, Isaiah 40:29

Trust God’s Goodness

“Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 8:26 NKJV) 

A great storm arose on the lake so that waves covered the boat, but Jesus was sleeping” (Matthew 8:24 NCV). 

Now there’s a scene. The disciples scream; Jesus dreams. Thunder roars; Jesus snores. He doesn’t doze, catnap, or rest. He slumbers. His snooze troubles the disciples. Matthew and Mark record their responses as three staccato Greek pronouncements and one question. 

The pronouncements: “Lord! Save! Dying!” (Matthew 8:25 NKJV). 

The question: “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38 NKJV). 

They do not ask about Jesus’ strength: “Can You still the storm?” His knowledge: “Are You aware of the storm?” Or His know-how: “Do You have any experience with storms?” But rather, they raise doubts about Jesus’ character: “Do You not care …” 

Fear does this. Fear corrodes our confidence in God’s goodness. 

Do the disciples remember the accomplishments of Christ? They may not. Fear creates a form of spiritual amnesia. It dulls our miracle memory. It makes us forget what Jesus has done and how good God is. 

Northeasters bear down on the best of us. Contrary winds. Crashing waves. They come. But Jesus still extends His arms. He still sends his angels. Because you belong to Him, you can have peace in the midst of the storm. 

Storms come. They just do. Sometimes they’re huge, and sometimes they’re simply unrelenting and persistent. They can be storms of circumstances, storms of distress, or storms within our souls. Regardless, the battle is real and we’re battered by it. When we need to be reminded of what Jesus has done and how good God is, let’s remember this: 

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (Isaiah 40:29) 

God’s Promise to Me: God knows my worries and fears. And He does care. He cares so much that He chooses to be with me through every storm.

Scriptures: Luke 15:24, 1 John 3:1

No Losing His Love

“My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!” (Luke 15:24 NCV) 

Jesus summarized God’s stubborn love with a parable. He told about a teenager who decided that life at the farm was too slow for his tastes. So with pockets full of inheritance money, he set out to find the big time. What he found instead were hangovers, fair-weather friends, and long unemployment lines. When he’d had just about as much of the pig’s life as he could take, he swallowed his pride, dug his hands deep into his empty pockets, and began the long walk home, all the while rehearsing a speech that he planned to give to his father. 

He never used it. Just when he got to the top of the hill, his father, who’d been waiting at the gate, saw him. The boy’s words of apology were quickly muffled by the father’s words of forgiveness. And the boy’s weary body fell into his father’s opened arms. 

No wagging fingers. No clenched fists. No “I told you so!” slaps or “Where have you been?” interrogations. No crossed arms. No black eyes or fat lips. No. Only sweet, open arms. If you ever wonder how God can use you to make a difference in your world, look at the forgiveness found in those open arms and take courage. 

We’ve all been that teenager, even if we were much older than that long-ago prodigal son when we stomped away from God. Our rebellion may last moments, days, or years. We might be in the midst of it right now. Wondering if God will welcome us home can leave us anxious and even avoiding the One we need most. Just remember this: 

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1) 

God’s Promise to Me: God’s arms are always open. His mercy is waiting. His grace is mine. His love does not end. I can fall into Him.

Scriptures: Isaiah 53:3, Isaiah 42:3, Matthew 26:36-46

Never Nearer

He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.(Isaiah 53:3 NKJV) 

The scene is very simple; you’ll recognize it quickly. A grove of twisted olive trees. Ground cluttered with large rocks. A low stone fence. A dark, dark night. See that solitary figure? Flat on the ground. Face stained with dirt and tears. Fists pounding the hard earth. Eyes wide with a stupor of fear. Hair matted with salty sweat. Is that blood on His forehead? 

That’s Jesus. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. 

We see an agonizing, straining, and struggling Jesus. We see a “man of sorrows.” We see a man struggling with fear, wrestling with commitments, and yearning for relief. 

We see Jesus in the fog of a broken heart. Jesus is in pain. Jesus is on the stage of fear. Jesus is cloaked, not in sainthood, but in humanity. 

Seeing God like this does wonders for our own suffering. God was never more human than at this hour. God was never nearer to us than when He hurt. The Incarnation was never so fulfilled as in the garden. 

The next time you are called to suffer, pay attention. Watch closely. It could very well be that the hand that extends itself to lead you out of the fog is a pierced one. 

Jesus struggled with fear. Perhaps struggled isn’t quite the right word. More like wrestled or battled. When fear has you facedown in the dirt, does it help to know that He’s been there before you? That you’re not the first to do battle here? When worry limits your view to the dust of the ground, remember this: 

“He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.” (Isaiah 42:3 NLT) 

God’s Promise to Me: Jesus understands my sorrows and fears. He’s been where I’ve been. He will help me up and help me stand again.