Hi everyone, this this is Allen Forte
My message today is the third of a three-part message taken from chapter 33 of the book of Exodus.
Part 3 is learning to have an “I Want to See You” spirit.
In the early verses of this chapter of Exodus, Moses made it known that he didn’t want to go anywhere without God going with him. He also wanted to know God’s ways before going the ways of the people.
Now, Moses was conflicted in one more area. The people of Israel had lived very difficult lives up to then. The people had been in Egypt for over 400 years. All they really knew was bondage, hard work and hard lives. They had cried out to God for help all those years. And now here they were, in the middle of a desert.
The people had grown accustomed to seeing more of the Egyptian gods than the God of Abraham, at least in their minds. The Egyptians created images of their gods. Their gods seemed to be more present and seemed to work more in their lives.
This made the Israelites wonder about the God of the people of Abraham, a God they had not seen yet. They had no image of their God. They had no sense of His presence. They prayed and cried out to someone they could not know or see.
I have struggled with this myself. In times past it has been hard for me to see God in the middle of some of the difficult things in life. Many people are like me. When our marriages are not working out, we ask, God are You here? When we lose our jobs we ask, God are You here? When we are sick unto death we ask, God are You here?
Like the Israelites, we may find it difficult to see the hand of God in the middle of difficult things that do not seem to change. We say 400 years is a long time—a long time to look for God in the middle of many difficulties and many struggles.
I have learned that God does not have to make our lives hard just so that we can be brought to a place of seeing His hand at work for us.
He does not need to make us look bad in order to clean us up and make us look better. He does not need to break our marriages in order to make our marriages great. The Lord is always with us no matter our circumstances.
Moses and the Israelites had to deal with feelings like this. So, in Exodus 33:17-18, the Lord says this in response to Moses’ prayer request that God would be with them. Scripture says, “So the Lord said to Moses I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”
In verse 18 Moses responds by asking the Lord this one last thing. “And he said, Please, show me Your glory.” In other words, please let me see You Lord, and it will be sufficient for me.
Moses had seen enough adversity. He had seen enough challenges. He had seen many times over and again that the people were seemingly left on their own in their struggles. Moses knew that if the people of Israel didn’t know how to recognize when God was at work, neither would the people who were their adversaries recognize His work.
Like Moses and the Israelites, sometimes it’s hard for us to see God in the middle of our circumstances, be they good or not so good. And like Moses we must remain believing and hopeful no matter what we face, no matter how difficult or how long we may be challenged.
Moses was saying if we cannot see Your works in our lives, let us see Your face for our lives. How will people know You if we Your people cannot recognize Your work? Please show us Your Glory Lord.
I know it’s hard for people to see the thing in me that I have not myself seen in me.
So, let this mind be in you; that no matter your circumstance, you will be able to see His face upon your life. Have an “I want to see You” spirit.
Learn to ask that the Lord is seen in you when others look to see the things the Lord does. Learn to ask that the Lord’s ways are visible in you when others see more of man’s ways around you.
Learn to ask this one thing of the Lord instead of asking for another blessing from the Lord. “Lord, show me Your glory and that will be sufficient for me to make it another day. Show me Your glory that by my actions and by the way I live, others will see You and know that You are as You say You are. No matter if things are hard or easy for me, I want to see You Lord so that others will have an image of You in the things around their lives.”
Live a Delivered Life. Love you.
Live Delivered 