The Goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:13, 14

     Back in the day… when Moses was leading the people of Israel through the wilderness en route to the Promised Land, he had an encounter with God born of desperation. This encounter culminated in Moses asking of the Lord, “Now show me Your glory.” (Ex. 33:19)

     God’s response to Moses’ request is significant: In answer to Moses’ desire for a revelation of God’s glory, God says, “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My Name, the Lord, in your presence.” (Ex. 33:20 – my emphasis).

     To Moses, in the midst of his wilderness of pain and desperation, God manifested His glory in the form of His goodness.

     The situation Moses found himself facing was not of his own making. It had come about as a result of the treacherous actions of the people he led. Within Moses a deep chasm of yearning opened up – a longing to know God more intimately in this place of agonizing distress.

     “… teach me Your way so I may know You…”

     Did Moses not already know God? Of course he did! He had spent hours and days and weeks in close communion with God. “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Ex. 33:11). Yet the agonizing circumstances Moses found himself in, brought him to a place of even deeper dependence on and longing for God.

     Like many of us, Moses could not see the way forward from this point, but God gave him this promise and assurance: “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Ex.33:14).

     What wilderness of pain, confusion and distress are you facing right now? Have you been casting around, trying to find a way forward, a way to resolution of the problems you are facing, a way to healing?

     We live in the information age and have become conditioned to chasing up one perceived resource after another. It’s time to stop the restless searching for answers that never completely satisfy. It’s time to come aside with the Lord and in that place of stillness with Him, ask Him to teach you His way so that you may know Him more. Not know the answers, the solutions, the remedies more – know Him more. It’s time to open that inner chasm of yearning to all that God is, and ask Him to fill your landscape with His glory.

     He will answer with a revelation of His unending goodness. And as your heart receives the wonder of all He is in His boundless love and infinite faithfulness, you will come to a place of confident rest in the Presence He has promised as much to us as He did to Moses: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Heb. 13:5).

     Then you too, will be able to proclaim along with the psalmist: I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.