The crowning achievement in the life of Moses was not the leading out of God’s people from the heavy handed slavery of the pharaoh, it was not when he laid is staff to the sea and watched as the waters parted, no; it was not when he struck the rock and watered the dry souls of the desperate sojourners following in his wake, The crowning achievement of Moses’ life was not when Moses stood before God on Sinai and observed as the very finger of God inscribed the law in rock. What was the crowning achievement in Moses” life?

The fact that Moses had lived a life of faith, he was now in position to ask perhaps the greatest request man has ever made of God. Only the most confidant would even dare. Of all the great testimonies of faith we are given in scripture, this one is by far the greatest; “I beseech thee O’ God show me thy Glory”.  The account is here recorded in Exodus 33:17-19.

17The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” 18Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” 19And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”…

Moses wasn’t in this position by chance, he was in it by choice. You see, Moses had a mind fixed on God, he was determined to go where God would send him, this of course was not at times without reluctance. Surely there were times Moses struggled, surely there were times when Moses looked upon his circumstances and nearly buckled under the pressure, but he always followed God. In Moses we see a glimpse of raw human emotions: anger, frustration, confidence, fear, and sorrow, in Moses we see ourselves. But who could ever see themselves where Moses is standing now? In spite of all his weakness, Moses followed God by faith.

Think for a moment if you will, of all the attributes of God. If he could use just one to reveal his glory to man, what would it be? His power, his might, his justice, his wrath, his mercy, his love; think again. God chose to answer Moses’ request by showing him his goodness. Why? Because all of God’s attributes are wrapped up in his GOODNESS, GOD IS GOOD. He shows forth wrath in goodness, exercises justice out of goodness, pours out his love because of his goodness. YES, it is true, GOD IS GOOD.

Yesterday was a difficult day for me, and I struggled in my faith, I doubted God and forgot his goodness. Staring down what appeared to be an insurmountable obstacle known as adoption and the cost associated with it, I buckled. “Why God, why would you call us to this place only to leave us without provision”. “God, we are doing exactly what you asked of us, we are caring for the fatherless”.  “You know, the ones you said not to forget, now it seems you have forgotten us”.  Just then I hear a whisper “you’ve been here before, remember; did I forsake you then,”  and I cry, “I do, I do remember, I remember how you broke forth like the noon day sun in the hour of my need, leaving behind you a trail of GOODNESS that testified to your great name”. It seems the more I want to be like Moses the more I look like peter; you of little faith, why did you doubt?

So I prayed, as Moses did, “I beseech thee O GOD, show me thy Glory” and again he whispers “My glory is wrapped in my goodness”.  “Then show me thy goodness,” I cry. I arrived at home dismayed, anxious, fearful of what tomorrow might bring, I check the mail as I always do, and instead of bills, I find an envelope stamped with the name of a ministry we have come to love. In it is a check, a substantial check that was given to help offset this cost that loomed so large just moments before. He whispers again “didn’t I tell you, if you only believe, you will see my Glory, remember it always comes wrapped in my GOODNESS”.  I wept then, and I weep now at the sheer magnificence of God, He is GOOD.

There was a commercial that used to play while I was growing up. In it a man walks into his son’s room and finds him doing drugs, the son looks up at his father and says “I learned it by watching you”. I hope one day that I will happen upon my children as they are following the call of God on their life and hear them say “I learned it by watching you”.