This verse (Exodus 34:10) made its way to my inbox via the Moravian Daily Texts. At first read, I became extremely encouraged and filled with a hope for what seems like, at times, a hopeless battle. It’s a promise to current and future generations of His presence and power – that all will knowingly or unknowingly bear witness to His goodness and glory.
But after reading through the rest of the email, I came to the closing prayer:
How amazing are your ways, O God. We marvel at your designs. In Christ you have shown us the awesome, divine presence that is ours. May our heavenly humanity be a witness to your earthly divinity. Amen.
Our heavenly humanity. I chewed on those words for a minute. Then it hit me. He doesn’t actually make Himself known by riding in on a white horse like a Disney prince. Nor does He move with our beckoning call like a puppet on stage. The implication of this verse is that we, as believers, are to be the instruments and facilitators of the manifestation of His work. That is when people bear witness to His glory.
Some time in the past, and even now when I don’t catch myself, I would have believed God to have done something if I prayed for it. Filled with excitement and eagerness as well as an immature understanding of who He is, I thought that He would have made Himself known through some “miraculous” happening and that’s how I’d experience His presence and power. After all, He gives us the desires of our heart, right?
While I do believe in miracles and that He does move in faith, I would say that a major flaw in my logic and initial read of this verse was and is my lack of conviction. What am I doing to best reflect and portray the loving kindness and compassion that Jesus has for humanity? Am I doing enough? Am I giving enough? When people think about me, do they set their hearts on the Lord?
I know the answer to all of these questions falls somewhere on the spectrum of “Maybe” to “I think so,” which means I’ve got a lot of work to do. And I believe we as Christ-followers do, too. We shouldn’t be known for conservative traditional views. We shouldn’t be picking fights based on political correctness or the nuances of Christian theology. We should be standing up for righteousness, caring for the widows and orphans, and healing a hurt and lost generation. We should be known for our love and compassion for people.
In the end, I want our charge to be that our heavenly humanity is indeed a witness to His earthly divinity. Through this will He be honored and glorified. Through this will all who live among us surely see the work of the Lord.
The Golden Lands 