The Glory of the Lord
Have you ever thought about why Moses hid his face from the people after it glowed from talking face to face with God?
How amazing it must have been to see Moses’s face reflecting the glory of the Lord!
A conversation might have gone like this in the camp… “Hey, Abe have you seen Moses lately? Oh wait…there’s his light way over by the sand dunes.”
Honestly, I feel a little disappointed that he didn’t just let the glory shine fully bright everywhere he went around the camp! It would have been a constant beacon of glory to God.
Whether covered or not, though, what a witness Moses’s shining face was to the Israelites–-God was with them! Ever present in the midst of the desert.
Jesus, the Light of Our Life
As far as I’m aware, our faces do not radiate in the natural world. Though, I imagine they do radiate brightly in the spiritual realm! After all, we have Jesus, the light of the world living inside of us! In John 8:3, Jesus says that we will never walk in darkness because we have Him–the light of life. Praise God!
Maybe you’ve had someone tell you that you were a light in a dark situation at work or in life. Your very presence in the world is a light to those walking in darkness.
No matter how desperate, hopeless, or lost you think a situation is, Jesus is the light of your life. You carry Him with you! In fact he surrounds you on all sides as you walk forward into the unknown, a battle, a difficult discussion, or a hospital room. The light of life comes WITH us!
When we are close to Him, the fruit of our relationship with Him comes out in each situation. We are filled with ever increasing amounts of “…love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…” Galatians 5:22-23
Paul says that “…in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation,” as believers we, “shine as lights in the world…” Philippians 2:15
His Glory is Like the Dawn
I absolutely love Isaiah 60:1 which says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you…”
Isaiah 60 is about God’s faithfulness to Israel, and since we are adopted into the family by our faith in Jesus, this promise is true for us as well. “The Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you…” Isaiah 60:2a
How wonderful that God’s glory shines upon us like the dawn! Also, like the dawn, His glory is guaranteed – new every morning.
I imagine it this way…much like the moon does not give light itself, but reflects the light of the sun, Jesus’s light and glory reflects on our faces. The rising dawn of His glory appears over us.
Go Shine!
As you walk forward this week, spend time soaking up the light of His presence through prayer, worship, or meditating on these scriptures. Your face, your being, and your life reflects the Glory of the Lord in every situation you will face.
