glory...defined

"Then Moses said, 'Now show me your glory.'

"And the Lord said, 'I will cause all of 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.

"Then the Lord said, 'There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."

"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant..." ~Genesis 33:18-23; 34:29

Nearly every morning at 5:15, I lace up my shoes and head out. Some mornings I run, some mornings I walk. Every morning I enjoy the time and the peace and quiet.

The weather here has been amazingly beautiful. Sunny, warm days; cool crisp nights. It's a touch chilly at 5:15, but SO worth it. The sky has been gorgeous! For being in the city, the number of stars I can see makes me suck in my breath. And I always think of the analogy I heard either in the high school group or at a high school camp about God's glory. The speaker said,

Moses asked to see God's glory. Pretty gutsy thing to do. We know how God replied--that no one can see Him and live. So how do we understand how great God's glory really is? Imagine this. Imagine that the night sky is a piece of luxurious black velvet. Each star represents a pinhole in that velvet, a pinhole through which we get tiny glimpses of God's glory. You know how bright the stars seem. Now imagine what it would be like if the velvet were ripped away and the we weren't protected from the light. THAT is how bright God's glory is, and that is why no one can see it and live. His glory, His holiness is so pure and so clear that it would kill us instantly.

So every morning at 5 I am reminded of God's glory. Of how blessed we are to have a loving God who provided a way for us to know Him. I stand totally in awe of Him, of His glory. And the stars remind me just how little, how insignificant I truly am in this thing called life. It's GOD'S story that matters, not mine. My role in God's movie is short--2/5 of a second perhaps (in light of eternity), but when I keep my focus on Him rather than on myself, it can be such a delight and a privilege to have a role at all! And God WANTS me--and you!--to have a part in His movie. Isn't that amazing?

Will I remember all this when it's no longer crisp and clear and beautiful at 5:15? When the sky is grey and cloudy and the rain is falling? I sure hope so. Just because I can't see something doesn't mean it's not there. Stars...God's glory. Same truth applies. I just have to remember it.