While there are a lot of people who describe the glory of God with different adjectives and descriptions in order to understand what it really is, the only way that you can truly even begin to understand it is to really encounter His presence and be transformed by it.
Show Me Your Glory
When Moses was called to come up the mountain by God (Exodus 33), he didn't just have an idle conversation with Him while he was there. He encountered a lot more than he had originally expected.
"And the Lord said, My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.
"And Moses said to the Lord, If Your presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here!
"For by what shall it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your sight? Is it not in Your going with us so that we are distinguished, I and Your people, from all the other people upon the face of the earth?
"And the Lord said to Moses, I will do this thing also that you have asked, for you have found favor, loving-kindness, and mercy in My sight and I know you personally and by name. (Photo via PickPik)
"And Moses said, I beseech You, show me Your glory.
"And God said, I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim My name, THE LORD, before you; for I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy and loving-kindness on whom I will show mercy and loving-kindness." (Exodus 33:14–19, AMPC)
I Know You by Name
While Moses was petitioning for God to send His presence with them, he actually encountered the Lord in a way that he hadn't anticipated originally, because the Lord made a statement to Moses that was purely relationship oriented, prior to Moses' request to see His glory.
God said, "I KNOW YOU PERSONALLY AND BY NAME." This statement gave Moses the boldness (and the access point) to go into deeper levels of intimacy with God than he had ever experienced before, but with the stipulation that Moses couldn't see His face and live (see Exodus 33:20).
It was only at this point that God said, "I WILL MAKE ALL OF MY GOODNESS PASS BEFORE YOU." His glory really is His goodness! The more that we actually encounter Him, the more we begin to understand just how good He really is.
Encountering His Face
While Moses wasn't actually allowed to see God's face (because the blood of Jesus Christ had not yet been shed for us), now that Jesus Christ has provided His blood and His cross for us, we have access to not only His glory, but His face as well.
"For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as [to beam forth] the Light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God [as it is manifest in the Person and is revealed] in the face of Jesus Christ (the Messiah)." (2 Corinthians 4:6, AMPC) (Photo via Freerangestock)
While some may say that seeing Jesus Christ is different than seeing the Father, Jesus actually told His disciples, "...Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father?" (John 14:9, AMPC).
Transformed into His Image
While His glory is His goodness, that goodness gives us an opportunity to encounter His face as we engage with it, so that we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds through those personal encounters with Him by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Each one of us, as sons and daughters of God, have the ability (through the inheritance of Jesus Christ) to not just approach the throne of grace, but to encounter His face each day a little more so that He can continue to transform us into His image, from glory to glory.
It's time that we stopped hanging out in the outer courts of God's presence. It's time to ask the Holy Spirit to show you His face so that you can be changed by His grace, His mercy, and His presence! His glory is awesome, but encountering His face is life-altering!
Show us Your face, O Lord, that we may know You, and transform us more and more as we encounter You. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ!
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Daniel Pontious
Every Believers Destiny
Email: Daniel.pontious@yahoo.com
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