Tag: 1 Peter 5:7

Session 2: Moses and God’s Glory

Understanding the nature and character of God is essential for knowing how to praise Him. Why? Because what God does flows out of who He is—which means that if He is good, then His ways are good. If His ways are good, then His answers are good—even when they’re hard.

Our natural tendency is to view God’s character through the lens of our circumstances, instead of the other way around. If we’re going through a hard time, then we see God as harsh. Or, if we’re going through a trial, then we assume He must be angry. Or if we aren’t getting what we want, then we see the Lord as unjust or unkind.

However, knowing God’s character helps us to see our circumstances through a different lens. It enables us to focus on His unchanging nature instead of our ever-changing situations. Let’s see what we can learn about the Lord from two encounters Moses has with Him. Both occur while Moses leads the Israelites in the desert after fleeing Egypt.

“Then Moses said, ‘Now show me your glory.’ And the Lord said, ‘I will cause all 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.’” (Exodus 33:18-23, NIV)

The glory of the Lord is hard to describe. I’ve seen glimpses of it in a brilliant orange-pink sunrise and have felt its intensity when gathering with others for worship (especially after being apart for so long during the pandemic). Pastor John MacArthur explains, “The glory of the Lord is the expression of God’s person. It is any manifestation of God’s character, any manifestation of His attributes in the world, in the universe, in His glory. In other words, the glory is to God what the brightness is to the sun. The glory is to God what wet is to water, the glory is what heat is to fire…it is the product of His presence, it is the revelation of Himself. Anytime God discloses Himself, it is the manifestation of His glory.”1

In Exodus 34 Moses has another experience where God describes His nature and character further:

“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’” (Exodus 34:6-7, NIV)

Let’s break down these two passages to discover more about God’s character and nature so that we can praise Him more specifically.

God is good. His goodness is so intense that it would overwhelm us to experience it in its fullness, as we see with Moses being hidden in the cleft of the rock. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34, NIV)

God is merciful. He doesn’t give us the consequences we deserve. We see this most clearly in His willingness to send His son to save us from our sins. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3, NIV)

God is compassionate. He is concerned for us and cares for us. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7, NIV)

God protects us. He placed Moses in the cleft of the rock for his own protection and does the same for us in different ways. “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” (Psalm 91:4, NIV)

God is gracious. He gives us blessing and favor we can’t earn. Through Christ, He makes it possible for us to receive salvation in spite of our sin. God shares His riches with us at Christ’s expense. “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32, NIV)

God is slow to anger. God is patient with us. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9, NIV)

God is abounding in love. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1, NIV)

God is faithful. He is always there for us and always ready to receive us. “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5b, NIV)

God is forgiving. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Ephesians 1:7, NIV)

God is just. He will right every wrong in His perfect timing and punish the unrepentant. “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:4, NIV) “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19, NIV)

Which attribute of God stands out to you? Praise Him for it in your prayers! Then, try following the example of Moses and ask the Lord to show you His glory or other aspects of His character you’d like to experience. Let Third Day’s “Show Me Your Glory” inspire you today by clicking here.

1. John MacArthur sermon “The Glory of the Lord” Dec 14, 1980 as quoted from Jackie Hill Perry in Jude: Contending for the Faith in Today’s Culture, Lifeway Press, 2020, 175.

The first three paragraphs of this post were adapted from Courtney Doctor’s article “Hope for Waiting Hearts.” Click here to read it.

God is With Us in Our Anxiety

Ever noticed those tickers that scroll across the bottom of a TV screen on certain news channels? They provide a constant stream of information so that if we’re not worrying about the main news story, we can find another thing that will unsettle us instead. Unfortunately, I think my brain works in a similar way. Like a news channel, my mind seems to have several screens in view simultaneously, with thoughts in the forefront and a whole lot more that constantly scroll through the background. And the screens multiply as the holidays approach.

I don’t like to admit it, but fighting against feelings of anxiety is a regular struggle for me. And I know I’m not alone. Anxiety is rampant in our culture for people of all ages and stations in life. Even those who faithfully walk with the Lord often forget that Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God with Us.” (Matthew 1:23)  Jesus assured His disciples, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

When I stop to remember this promise, it soothes my frayed nerves and reminds me to lay my worries at the feet of Jesus. Just knowing He is with me eases my racing mind and helps me to realign my focus on Him. If you struggle with anxiety like I do, then you might find reassurance from some of the passages below. Use them to realign your thoughts and to help you trade your anxiety for the true peace found only in Jesus.

1 Peter 5:7
“ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

A synonym for the word “cast” here is “transfer.” So, casting our anxiety before Jesus means we transfer the tangle of our worries from our minds to His hands. Regardless of how the circumstances unfold, we can trust Him because He cares for us.

Philippians 4:6-8
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Instead of expending mental energy worrying, we can direct it toward praying about the things that make us anxious. As we thank God for His faithfulness and trustworthiness, He fills us with an inexplicable peace that isn’t tied to our circumstances. That peace allows us to replace anxious thoughts with God’s truth. If you struggle with giving your anxious thoughts to the Lord, try writing them down on a piece of paper or in a prayer journal to stop spinning on them needlessly.

Romans 12:1-2
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

The world goads us toward worry and anxiety all day long. The best way to fight against this is to pray and ask God to renew your mind. Invite Him to cleanse your mind of worries, fears and fretting and to renew it with thankfulness, hope and peace. Make this a daily practice when those anxious feelings begin to tighten their grip on you.

2 Corinthians 10:5
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Many things in this world distract us from the knowledge of God and the truth of His Word. The antidote is to pray and read God’s Word. Whenever I’m feeling anxious, critical or insecure, I stop and ask God to take my thoughts captive and to make them obedient to Him. If I can, I pray aloud using this verse and the previous one together, simply saying, “God, take my thoughts captive and renew my mind.” It’s amazing how quickly claiming the truth of Scripture in prayer shifts my focus away from anxious thoughts and towards the reassurance that God is with me.

Isaiah 26:3
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

To be steadfast is to be resolute, firm or unwavering. When we keep our minds steadfastly focused on God and His trustworthiness, we can find peace in any and every circumstance.

For many of us, the holiday season includes a liberal dose of anxiety. But if we reflect on the Christmas story, we can find examples of people who trusted the Lord instead of fretting.  Take Jesus’ mother, Mary, for example. She praised God for choosing her to be the mother of the long-promised Messiah. Her status as an unwed, pregnant teen opened her to ridicule, judgement and shame. Yet because of her trust in God, she could say with confidence, “I am the Lord’s servant…May your word to me be fulfilled…My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:38, 46b, 47) If anyone had cause to be anxious, it was Mary. Yet she trusted God, rejoiced at His goodness and welcomed the new direction her life would be taking. She knew God would be with her no matter what stressful circumstances she would encounter.

Thinking about Mary’s situation and her reaction to it humbles me. She not only accepted God’s plan, she welcomed it, celebrating her pregnancy instead of being anxious over it. Her example inspires me to trust God and give Him control of that ticker scrolling through my brain.  Let the significance of her trust in God sink in as you listen to “Be Born in Me” by Francesca Battistelli.

All Scriptures quoted from the New International Version.