Christmas Surprises

And the LORD said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” (Exodus 33:17-23 ESV). Today’s reading is one of my favorite Old Testament passages. I often return to it when I need the encouragement that God has never secreted Himself away from me, even when the days seem to be darkest. He has always planned for a “cleft in the rock” that I might see Him and experience the knowledge of His goodness and glory.

And, as crazy as that might sound, that thought brings me to thoughts of Christmas. I know, that’s not a very apparent leap, but stay with me. I am not good at waiting for a specified time to open gifts. My curiosity seems to get the better of me most of the time. I am a “peeker.” Some of you may be a “shaker.” Either way, it almost always spoils the surprise of the gift. Even when just a small bit of the gift is revealed, it always collapsed our anticipation at the moment of the actual opening of the gift. Maybe that’s the reason I am always tempted to give others their gifts early encouraging them to go ahead and open them. The immediate gratification of seeing their surprise is worth it. That’s exactly what God did for Moses. He let him open his “gift” early. That glimpse of God’s glory as it passed Moses and began to fade was not to be the final gift; however, it was enough of a revelation to settle the hope of his ultimate victory. Remember that he would ultimately appear at the transfiguration with Elijah and Jesus. That certainly was the great moment of revelation of God’s glory. It also reminds me that God has shown me all I need for this day through Jesus and the Scripture. With the gift of his Spirit living in me, I shouldn’t need God to reveal anything more of Himself than that. I know that it is still a great temptation to ask God to prove himself through miracles and works; but, really, have you seen a sunset lately? Check it out. God is there in mighty glory every evening! Don’t give in to peeking or shaking. The gift is being revealed more and more each moment of the day as we are drawn closer to our heavenly home. Just enjoy!