Exodus 34:29-35
Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the Ten Commandments. His face was shining brightly because the LORD had been speaking to him. But Moses did not know at first that his face was shining. When Aaron and the others looked at Moses, they saw that his face was shining, and they were afraid to go near him. Moses called out for Aaron and the leaders to come to him, and he spoke with them. Then the rest of the people of Israel gathered around Moses, and he gave them the laws that the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.
The face of Moses kept shining, and after he had spoken with the people, he covered his face with a veil. Moses would always remove the veil when he went into the sacred tent to speak with the LORD. And when he came out, he would tell the people everything the LORD had told him to say. They could see that his face was still shining. So after he had spoken with them, he would put the veil back on and leave it on until the next time he went to speak with the LORD.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
My mother told me about a woman she met recently in a theater lobby in Wickenburg, Arizona. The lady – Betty – was 102, and Mom said she had a pretty smile – and beautiful teeth. She said you would never guess that Betty was 102, and from what Mom described, the woman practically glowed with “youthfulness” and energy that belied her age. I bet if you stop and think about it, you know someone like Betty… maybe not someone who is 102, but someone who seems to practically radiate light toward whomever they encounter.
If we want to get right to it, as Christians we should all be radiating the light of Christ. Our faces should be shining with His glory. If you read Exodus 33 and 34, you will see that Moses didn’t literally see God’s face. God told Moses that no one could handle the full glory of seeing His face. But Moses heard God’s voice… he knew that God passed by him and shielded Himself from view by hiding Moses in the cleft of a rock. So, if Moses glowed from an inadvertent encounter with God, can’t we?
This comes down to a question of our faith. If we truly believe that God is with us… if we truly feel His presence and “hear” his voice… then our faces should shine with His glory. Others should notice something distinctly special about us… not in a negative way or one that makes us a show-off… but rather, a “presence” about us that reflects our relationship with God. It should be clearly evident to others that we have spent time in communication with our Heavenly Father… and the joy, peace, positive attitude, confidence, hope, faith, compassion, and more that we exhibit to others should be our “glow.”
What about you? Have you had a “close encounter” with God lately? Do you radiate His love, grace and mercy to others in such a way that either you almost need to cover your face with a veil – or others need to put on sunglasses? How bright is your “glow” these days? Is it time you spent a little time in God’s presence for a “recharge?”
©2011 Debbie Robus
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