Gazing into His Glory

The glory of the Lord was revealed in the Old Testament by visions, fire, and amazing events that astounded those who saw it. They were also fearful and fell on their faces to worship Him. When Moses spoke with God, his face shone. The people were in awe even at that, and Moses had to put a veil over his face because of their reactions. The New Testament explains that the veil also served to keep them from seeing that glory fade. Moses had to return to God often for the glory to remain visible on his countenance.

I’m finding that gazing into the glory of the Lord is difficult for me, almost more than I can bear. While I am not terrified like they were, seeing more and more of what He is like thrills and awes my heart to the point that I want a veil or want to turn away. His splendor is too much for me.

This experience is tied to an amazing discovery about the way children develop. Scientists have found that when a mother and child are making eye contact in that delightful and intimate bonding experience, the child becomes so intensely excited that he has to look away just to protect himself from his own fervent emotions. This causes a sense of relief and is necessary, even though the baby will soon return his gaze to his mother’s eyes. However, if the mother looks away, the baby immediately becomes distressed and agitated, uncertain and confused.

After reading this, I more fully appreciate David’s psalm that says, “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” God wired into us a deep desire for intimacy. He also wired into us the need for a parental gaze that never quits, yet that gaze is often broken. Parents are not able to perfectly fill this built-in hunger for face-to-face attachment.

David also wrote, “My heart says of you, ‘Seek His face! Your face, LORD, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me. . . . even though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.” Even though they turn away their eyes, God will never turn away!

God made me so that I have the option of looking away from Him, not that looking at Him is harmful, but sometimes His glory is just too awesome for me. I have to lower my eyes, bow my head, even weep at the magnificence of what I see. The spiritual discipline God asks is that I keep coming back. He promises great things and an amazing transformation to those who keep looking.

Yet it is not easy. Even Moses had a problem with staying there, with continually being with God in an intimate way. Exodus 33:11 says, “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.”

Moses gazed into the face of God, then went back to work. Joshua stayed in the tent of meeting. Later, an uncorrected major flaw in Moses’ life kept him from entering the promised land, while Joshua was able to go in as the new leader of God’s people.

Is there a connection between this outcome in their lives and the time they spent in that tent with God? I don’t know, but I do know that the Bible says those who gaze into His glory “are being transformed into His likeness” and as challenging as it is to my emotions, that is enough to keep me coming back to Him.