Sunday, December 12, 2010

A Place Near Him (reposted)

(Reposted from earlier this year...)


One of my favorite passages of scripture in the bible is found in Exodus 33. Moses tells God that if His presence does not go with him, then he does not want to go. He then asks the Lord to show him His glory.

v. 18 And he (Moses) said, "Please, show me Your glory."

v. 19a ....Then He (God) said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you....."

v. 21 And the Lord said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock."

God said there is a place near Him....

In verse 21, the word place in Hebrew is MAQOWN, which means: standing place, post, station, city, land, region, place of human abode, etc. MAQOWN originated from the Hebrew word QUWN, which means: to arise, become powerful, to be established, to be fixed, to be valid, to be proven, to be fulfilled, to persist, etc.
I believe there is a place for each of us where we are more near God than anywhere else. A specific place. And when we are in that place, He will establish us there, causing His plans and purposes to persist in and through us.

Also in verse 21, is the word stand. The Hebrew word is NATSAB, which means: to stand, take one's stand, stand upright, be set (over), establish, be stationed, be appointed.

This word is a verb, which conveys an action or a state of being. In that place, we will stand (we must take action, DO something, and BE that which God has called us to be).

v. 22 "So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by."

In that place, the glory of the Lord is so great that we, in our current state, cannot handle it. So much so, that God will have to protect us, lest we be destroyed. He told Moses He would make all His goodness to pass before Him and that He would proclaim the name of the Lord before Him. In that place, God's goodness is revealed! And His name is proclaimed so that all who see it will know that it is Him!

I believe that place has been created by God and is reserved for each of us. In it, is our destiny, our purpose. There, His grace is abundant to do that which He has ordained us to do. There, His goodness is undeniable. There, His glory is all consuming. It is there, in His presence, in that place that we are so near Him, that we are changed, made whole, healed, and set free! It is there, that we are able to give out what He has placed within us.

If His presence does not go with me, I do not want to go.

I pray that the glory of the Lord will be revealed in my life, that I might be near Him and know that which I was created for, that He might establish me in His plans and purposes (not my own) and so that others can see His grace and His goodness through me. That I might find that place....

I pray, today, that you might find that place and that His glory is revealed through you!

4 friends had this to say:

Sharon said...

I can't imagine too many things more wonderful than "A Place Near Him" - what a great title.

You have summed up my life desire - and my prayer for the new year.

"...that the glory of the Lord will be revealed in my life (Lord, I just want people to see You when they look at me)

...that I might be near Him (Lord, give me Your presence)

...and know that which I was created for (Lord, I want nothing more and nothing less than what You would have me do for Your glory)

...that He might establish me in His plans and purposes (not my own) and so that others can see His grace and His goodness through me (Lord, make these things happen in my life - YOUR plans - at JUST the right time, and in JUST the right way)

...that I might find that place....(Lord, guide me, lead me, show me...YOUR way).

Thanks.

Have a very Merry Christmas, Shelly - GOD BLESS!

Warren Baldwin said...

Linked from Quiet Quill. I like the way you develop this passage, and even refer to the Hebrew. This is a good study.

It is interesting how when God does reveal himself, he reveals less of what his physical makeup might be like, and more of what his character is. In ch.34 he describes what he is like - kind, slow to anger, etc. (34:6). What is ultimately important about all of us is our state of heart.

Good post, good blog. Merry Christmas.

Anonymous said...

Totally loving this post because it corresponds with what God is teaching my husband and me.

Once we find that place where God wants to establish us, we will see His glory! How cool is that?!

He has a special domain for each of us, and we need to follow His lead into our promised land!

Anonymous said...

This is one of my favorite passages, too. Thanks for expanding it for us. Really pretty site, too!