Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Exo 33.17


Exo 33:17  And the LORD said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”


Jesus I want to hear you say my name

This was a prayer that I prayed on a sleepless night. Some might call it selfish and self focused, but for me, and it was a prayer for intimacy. It was a heart cry to know Jesus. To walk with Him, to touch Him, to be so close physically, emotionally and spiritually. It was a yearning to know Him as my friend and to have the intimacy and oneness that He prayed we would have in John 17.

 Not even 5 min after I prayed this I started listening to a teaching from Francis Chan and right away he read Exodus 33:17.

Exo 33:17  And the LORD said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”

I know you by name. While I didn't hear an audible voice or see the heavens part and Jesus descend, I knew that this was the answer to my prayer. I knew that He has seen me and heard my desire and answered. I Knew at that moment, that I was in the presence of Jesus and that I am His beloved daughter.

Lately my heart has been crying out to know Jesus. We talk about this, we read books about this, we sing about this, we preach sermons about this, but do we truly experience it? Can we truly say that we know Jesus as our friend? I recently watched the movie Risen (yes I know I am late to the party) and it refreshed my heart and ignited my heart to truly know Jesus. It is so easy to read about Him in the scriptures but have it be far off in my mind. But as I watched the movie and watched how they portrayed Jesus, I was overwhelmed and moved to know Him as my friend. He invites us into this covenant friendship.

It truly is all about knowing, enjoying and worshiping Christ. I can fall in love with doing good things, resisting temptation, taking care of the poor, memorizing scripture...and miss everything. It is about falling in love with Jesus. I want to be consumed with love for Him. Not for what He can do for me or for what I can do with Him, but simply consumed with Him. This isn't something you can explain and measure, but it certainly is something you can see in a person. The thought terrifies me that I could get to the end of my life and serve everyday in ministry and realize I never knew or loved HIM. May this not be so, and His love beckons me into a life of friendship with Him. As my flesh starts to chase a performance relationship, He reminds me that my relationship with Him is sealed and He desires a relationship.


He is the prize. He is my exceedingly great reward. And to know Him, it is beyond comprehension and explanation. It is beauty, it is life.

Psa 34:5  Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed

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