“And he said, ‘Please, show me Your glory.” (Exodus 33:18)
 

March 2011,

Dear Friend,

Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. What a pleasure it is to be heading towards Spring! This has been a rough winter in the North East! You and your family have especially been in our prayers as we prayed for protection for all on our mailing list. This year was the first year that I was forced to do most of my work at home, because I just could not get to the office. But God is Good, I have a fully equipped office at home so it worked out well.

During this time of being home, I had plenty of time to spend with the Lord. It was actually like a retreat, only I still had to do my own cooking! It was indeed a much needed one, as I seemed to feel the effects of the harsh winter and was extremely tired from months of ongoing heavy ministry. I thank God for entrusting all that He did to me, and to CHN, but at the same time, there was not much time to spend with Him or catch up with needed rest. I think when we reach that point, if we do not take hold of our time and rest as we should, God makes us sit down! As the Psalmist says in Psalm 23, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters.” (Vs.2)

As a Good Shepherd, He gives us all that we need, and that includes times of rest and restoration. As busy human beings, we constantly feel that we have to keep going, like the Duracell battery. Remember that commercial? It keeps going, and going and going. The truth is, is that God does not expect us to be like that! Even, as wonderful as it is, being busy with ministry can take its toll.

So here I was, forced to stay home, and working from my home office. It seems like every time I looked out the window, there was a snow event. After a while, I decided to give in and relax, and enjoy it. Watching the snow gracefully coming down, covering the branches on the trees was truly relaxing. The idea was that I had to concentrate just on that, and not on the clean up afterwards! So, I started to praise God, and thank Him for the snow. I also began to clear my mind and concentrate on Him, Who He is, and on His Goodness. I began to read my Bible not for the sake of teaching, but for my own sake. It was as if Jesus was telling me, “this is your time, and I want to spend it with you.” I cry when I think of how gentle but firm He was. It was like when a child is outside playing and is having fun; that child can play and play all day and not think of anything

else. Then suddenly mom calls the child in, and forces him or her to eat, relax, and get ready for bed. The child may fuss, and complain, but as soon as his head hits the pillow, he is in dreamland. So, I gave in, and began to soak in God’s Word for me! I began to hear what the Spirit had to say, and allow Him to refresh my soul.

After the Israelites made themselves a god of gold, Moses interceded for them, asking God to block out his name, but save the people who sinned. (Ex. 32:31-35) When Moses met with the Lord, he was tired, he was dealing with people who complained all the time. When he would meet with the Lord at the tabernacle of meeting, a pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the door while the Lord talked with him. (Read Ex. 33) Moses absolutely needed direction and rest. He needed God’s Presence. He understood where he was coming from, and what he needed to do the task that God was calling him to do. So in Vs. 14 God tells him, “And He said, My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Wow! Moses tells God that if His Presence does not go with them, then do not bring them there. He knew that without God, it was impossible. Now this is exciting, God tells him “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.” Isn’t this what we want? How could we ever think to do anything on our own!! The great thing here is Moses’s response. “And he said, ‘Please, show me Your glory.” And if we read on, God answers his request.

What is it that we really want? Can we stop long enough to talk to God in that “meeting place” and tell Him our concerns, and ask for His direction? Is what we do all of God’s will for us? If so, and we grow tired and weary, what is the answer? I can tell you in two words...”His Glory.” When His Glory falls, we do not go ahead of Him! We do not work till we drop! We do not do one thing without knowing that it is His perfect will. We only want what He wants. We take time to talk to Him, to ask Him questions as Moses did, to wait for answers. When we are weary, we remember that He is the One who will lead us beside the still waters, and He will give us rest. We will seek His Glory as He opens the heavens for us granting us visions and dreams of His thoughts of us. He will reveal Himself to us in powerful ways, showing us what is important to Him. He will fill us with His Holy Spirit and grant to us His Gifts so that we can be the blessing that He desires us to be. He will not overwhelm us with things to do. He will make a way where there is no way for us to accomplish His desires in us. He will be the Light that guides us, and He will give us rest as we seek Him and His Face. He wants to show us His Glory! He wants to reveal Himself to us in ways that we could never imagine. He wants our attention as we rise in the morning, as we go about our day, and as we ready ourselves for the night. He wants us to stay in the Word and receive strength and wisdom from it. Let us take that time, beginning today. Let us make Him the center of all, and let us desire more than anything, to see His Glory.

Father, in Jesus Mighty Name, we come before you to worship and adore You. Thank You Father, that Your desire is to give us rest, to reveal Yourself to us, and to show us Your Glory. Father, we ask that You guide our way, and grant us times of fellowship and quietness so that we can hear from You. Praise You Lord! Thank you! Amen!

God bless you!

Rev. Barbara Anne Yovino, Ph.D.

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