You can learn much about a person simply by knowing the things about which they are curious. Copernicus, Newton, Einstein and Edison were possessed with the kind of curiosity that lead to world shaping discovery and invention. George Washington Carver’s curiosity of botany led to the development of over 300 uses for the lowly peanut. Can you imagine how many people had held the peanut in their hand with only enough interest to open the shell and eat the nut inside? But Carver was curious – curious enough to probe deep enough to unlock the vast potential of that lowly little legume. The great discoveries in our world have always been the end result of a great curiosity – a curiosity so intense that it will seek to untangle the deepest mysteries and solve the most complex problems known to mankind.
The same is true in the spiritual realm. The deeper life is always built upon the understanding that there is something more to discover – something deeper to faith than we have yet experienced. One of the fundamental principles of spiritual conquest is that we must pursue and appropriate what God has provided and promised (Joshua 1:3). The great saints are those who possess a passionate curiosity to examine their faith and to know their God in an intimate way.
Moses was such a man. When you read about Moses you are reading about a man of extreme faith and deep intimacy with God. When you listen to the things Moses talked to God about; the boldness of his prayers; the things he wanted God to show him – you see an uncommon depth of spiritual character fueled by an even greater hunger to know his God! An example of this is in Exodus 33 and 34. Recorded here is an amazing “face to face” conversation Moses had with Yahweh (the personal name for God). He asks Yahweh for three remarkable things:
1. “Teach me your ways”
Most of us use prayer as a means to alter our circumstances. Not Moses –it was a means to alter his heart, mind and character. He was effectively telling God, “I need insight into your culture and world. I need to know how You do things. I must know what Your expectations are for me and for Your people.” If you pray like this every day, you will have a new depth to your life as you concentrate on absorbing the culture of heaven.
2. “Guarantee me your presence”
Moses told God quite bluntly that he was not going one more step on the journey unless God promised to go too. God’s presence meant rest, safety, guidance and identity. Moses would accept nothing less. Whatever blessing God may offer, Moses would have none of it if it did not include His presence. This was obviously gratifying to God and He assured Moses that “My presence will go with you.”
3. “Show me your glory”
Moses asks to see God’s glory and God responded with, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.” Moses wanted to see God’s glory and God said I will show you my goodness. There is a very important difference here. Dennis Kinlaw explains that difference with this insight, “You can have a spiritual experience that is very exciting yet contentless, or you can gain an insight into the character of the Eternal One that will change you forever.”
If you are one of those souls that long to go deeper, the place to begin is the same place that Moses began – the place that longs to , “know God, have His presence and to see His glory.” This is “deep calling unto deep.”
Deeper Life Ministries 