Is God Seeker Friendly?

There are prominent “seekers” in the Bible, those who desperately desire God, to know His ways and follow after Him wholeheartedly.  Moses was one such seeker!  Moses sought after God not for what He could do for him or give him, but for relationship with Him. 

Moses had a tough assignment in leading a “stiff necked” [grievously unyielding] people (Deuteronomy  31:27).  Though he made mistakes, he continued to repentantly seek God and have a heart for those who made his work difficult.  In Exodus  33:13  Moses prays for understanding of God and His ways, not for himself only, but that he could lead the Israelites as God desires: “ Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is your people."

Though Moses knew the end result of God’s assignment, that the Israelites would inherit the Promised Land, he continued to seek God’s way of doing things in the process of getting to that land.  We may know God’s plan for us in a particular situation, but the process of carrying out that plan is just as important as getting the end result.  When we leave God on the sidelines and progress with an end goal in mind, we may arrive at that goal but the road to the goal may be scattered with casualties.  Seeking God for the process is just as important as arriving at the end goal!  Proverbs 16:25 states: “There is a way that seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death [void of the life of God].”

Moses shows selflessness and humility in his prayer [Exodus 33:13]:  show me how to do this your way, give me grace [favor, mercy and loving kindness] in carrying out your purpose and look upon us as your children.  God’s response to the heart of Moses is stated in Exodus 33:17:  “So the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name."  Moses,  however, does not stop at knowing that God will guide him through the process,  he considers knowing God to be more of a priority than accomplishing the task at hand, and he asks God to “show me your glory” in Exodus 33:18.  Moses has already seen the Red Sea parted, been on the mountain with God for 40 days and nights and watched as God produced manna and quail for an enormous multitude of Israelites.  What is Moses asking of God?  What more could he possibly want from God?  In human terms, Moses wants to look into the face of God and behold His beauty!

      God’s response to Moses is that He will show Moses His glory, but no man, in his current state of humanness, can see the face of God and live.  God gives Moses the following instructions in Exodus  33:21-22: “And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place beside Me, and you shall stand upon the rock  and while My glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.”    Here is the answer which applies not only to Moses request, but to all of us: “there is a place beside Me, I will cover you [fence you in and protect you] and you shall stand [be established] on the Rock!”

      There is a place near to God where we stand on the Rock, Jesus Christ.  In all of our concerns over life and how to fulfill the task at hand, the answer is to stand near to God, on the Rock!  This must be our priority in every situation: where we would first seek a solution, we must first seek the One who has the solution.  Stand on the Rock!