A Show Me State of Mind

Devotional

Day 1: Wilderness With You Rather Than Promised Land Without

Moses’ bold declaration reframes success. True faith prefers God’s presence in barren places over self-made victories. This theme confronts our tendency to prioritize destinations over relationship. When assignments overwhelm, do we bargain with God or cling to His nearness? The wilderness becomes holy ground when we value companionship with God above comfort. [57:08]

“My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.” (Exodus 33:14-15, ESV)

Reflection: What current situation feels like a wilderness to you? How might God’s presence transform your view of this “barren” season?

Day 2: Downloading God’s Operational System

Moses doesn’t seek shortcuts but God’s ways. Like updating a phone’s OS, he asks for divine reprogramming. This challenges transactional faith that treats God as a vending machine. To know God’s ways means surrendering our default settings—our assumptions about timing, justice, and success. Lasting transformation begins when we let Scripture overwrite our cultural coding. [58:47]

“Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight.” (Exodus 33:13, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been seeking God’s help without seeking His character? What “system update” does your soul need today?

Day 3: Seeing God’s Back in Life’s Rearview

God’s glory often reveals itself in retrospect. Like Moses shielded in the rock cleft, we rarely recognize holy moments until we look back. This theme reframes disappointment—what if today’s frustrations are tomorrow’s testimonies? The “show me” faith trusts that God’s goodness passes before us even when we only perceive the aftermath. [01:08:17]

“And while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” (Exodus 33:22-23, ESV)

Reflection: When has God’s goodness become clearer in hindsight? How does this shape your trust in current uncertainties?

Day 4: Asthma Inhalers and Unanswered Formulas

The preacher’s childhood healing story dismantles transactional faith. True glory isn’t in dramatic miracles but in God’s sustained presence through ongoing struggles. This theme rejects spiritual scorekeeping—the idea that God’s favor equals easy outcomes. Like carrying an inhaler while believing, we walk the tension between earthly realities and eternal hope. [01:05:30]

“The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.’” (Exodus 34:6, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you expected God to remove a struggle instead of sustain you through it? How does His character comfort you today?

Day 5: Bold Requests for Heavy Assignments

Moses’ threefold “show me” prayer becomes our model. When leadership weighs heavy or culture grows chaotic, we don’t retreat—we press in. This theme empowers honest dialogue with God. Like Moses facing Pharaoh and Red Seas, we’re invited to name our overwhelm while holding fast to God’s track record of faithfulness. [01:09:30]

“And he said, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” (Exodus 33:15-16, ESV)

Reflection: What heavy assignment makes you whisper “If you don’t go with me…”? How will you boldly ask for God’s distinguishing presence today?

Sermon Summary

Moses stands before God with a “show me state of mind,” not because he has forgotten what God can do, but because the assignment in front of him is too heavy to carry alone. Moses has seen the burning bush, faced Pharaoh, watched the Red Sea open, and lived on God’s provision in the wilderness. Yet Moses still needs assurance for the journey ahead. The text shows that faith is not always pretending to have every answer. Faith can say, “Lord, I believe you, but I want to know you more deeply.”

The contrast between skepticism and faith matters. Skepticism says, “I won’t believe it until you prove it.” Faith says, “Show me your presence. Show me your ways. Show me your glory.” Moses does not ask God for a full itinerary, a GPS, gas stations, restaurants, and every turn in the road. God does not give him all that. God gives him a promise: “My presence will go with you.”

Moses answers with one of the strongest declarations in Scripture: “If your presence does not go with us, do not send us there.” Moses would rather remain in the wilderness with God than arrive at the promised land without God. The desire for growth, success, movement, and accomplishment can become dangerous when God’s direction gets left behind. The real question is not merely, “Can it be done?” The question is, “Can it be done faithfully, with God leading the way?”

Moses also asks, “Teach me your ways, that I may know you.” This request reaches beyond wanting things from God. Moses wants God downloaded into his operational system. He wants to know God’s character, priorities, and purposes. Scripture, songs, worship, and religious language can all become familiar without changing how anybody lives. Moses refuses to settle for knowing about God. He wants to know God.

Moses finally says, “Show me your glory.” God answers with goodness, mercy, God’s name, and a glimpse from the cleft of the rock. God’s glory cannot be controlled or demanded on human terms. God may not reveal the whole road, but God gives enough light for the next step. Looking back, God’s people can often see what they could not see in the moment: God was there. In an uncertain and troubled world, the rock remains the place to go. God’s presence, God’s ways, and God’s glory are still enough for the road ahead.

Key Takeaways

1. Presence matters more than destination. Moses refuses to separate God’s promise from God’s presence. A promised land without God would still be a wilderness in the deepest sense. Faith measures success not by arrival, growth, or accomplishment, but by whether God is leading the way. [56:53]
2. Teachable faith seeks God’s ways. Moses asks God to teach him, not merely to help him. Religious familiarity can leave a person full of Bible words, worship habits, and borrowed quotes without knowing God’s heart. A teachable spirit asks God to shape motives, decisions, priorities, and character. [58:25]
3. God cannot be managed or controlled. Moses asks to see glory, but God decides what Moses can receive. Faith has the boldness to ask hard questions and the humility to receive God’s answer on God’s terms. God often gives enough light for the next step instead of handing over the whole map. [1:07:25]
4. God’s glory appears in hindsight. God’s goodness is not always seen in dramatic miracles or trouble-free days. Many moments only become clear later, when protection, mercy, delay, and unexpected provision are recognized as God’s hand at work. Looking back can become a testimony: “I did not understand it then, but God was with me.” [1:08:17]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[46:24] - A Show Me State of Mind
[47:24] - Awareness, Survival, and What Is Inside
[48:26] - Faith Seeks God’s Presence
[50:03] - Skepticism and Faith
[51:13] - Moses Needs Assurance for the Journey
[53:36] - Show Me Your Presence
[58:25] - Show Me Your Ways
[1:02:03] - Show Me Your Glory
[1:05:05] - Recognizing God’s Glory in Life
[1:07:42] - Enough Light for the Next Step
[1:09:30] - Seeking God in an Uncertain World
[1:12:14] - Going to the Rock

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Exodus 33:12-23
“Moses said to the Lord, 'See, you say to me, "Bring up this people," but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, "I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight." Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.' And he said, 'My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.' And he said to him, 'If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?' 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.' Moses said, 'Please show me your glory.' And he said, 'I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name "The Lord." And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,' he said, 'you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.' And the Lord said, 'Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

Observation questions

What does Moses say he needs from God as he prepares to lead the people, and how does God answer him?
In Exodus 33:13, what does Moses ask God to teach him, and what reason does he give for wanting to learn God’s ways? [58:25]
What does Moses declare in response to God’s promise of presence, and what does that reveal about what matters most to him? [56:53]
When Moses asks to see God’s glory, what does God choose to reveal, and what limits does God place on Moses’ request? [01:04:41]

Interpretation questions

Moses has already witnessed God’s power in many ways, yet he still asks for assurance. What does this show about the difference between weak faith and faith that honestly recognizes the weight of an assignment? [56:02]
Why is God’s promise of presence more important than receiving a complete plan for the journey? What might it mean for someone facing a future they cannot fully map out? [56:21]
Moses asks to know God’s ways, not just to receive help from God. What is the difference between knowing religious words and allowing God’s character and priorities to shape daily decisions? [01:01:02]
God answers Moses’ request for glory on God’s own terms. How does this help someone hold together bold prayer, honest questions, and humility before God? [01:07:42]

Application questions

Is there an assignment, decision, relationship, or burden in your life that feels bigger than your ability? What would it sound like for you to pray, “Show me your presence, because I cannot do this by myself”? [55:46]
Where might you be more focused on reaching a destination—success, security, growth, or a particular outcome—than on whether God is leading you there? What could help you slow down and seek God’s direction? [57:33]
Moses would rather remain in the wilderness with God than arrive at the promised land without God. What would that kind of faith look like in a real decision you are currently facing? [57:08]
What is one area where you are tempted to ask only, “What can God do for me?” How might you instead ask God to teach you God’s ways, priorities, and purposes? [59:23]
Are there familiar Christian practices—Scripture reading, worship, prayer, or church attendance—that could become routine without changing how you treat people or make choices? What is one concrete way you want God’s Word to shape your life this week? [01:01:02]
Think back on a hard season, delay, disappointment, or unexpected turn. Can you now see any signs of God’s goodness, mercy, protection, or provision that you did not recognize at the time? [01:08:10]
What unanswered question or uncertain future do you need to place before God with humility? What might it look like to trust God for enough light for the next step rather than demanding the whole map? [01:07:56]

Sermon Clips

37s

#TrustGodsTiming

“And that's where faith requires humility. We may ask to see God's glory, but we cannot dictate how God reveals that glory to us. We can ask God for answers, but we cannot dictate how we receive an explanation from God. We may ask God to show us our future, but sometimes God gives us enough light to take in the next step rather than information about our entire journey.”

37s

#PrayBoldly

“A show me state of mind is not about challenging God to prove God's worth. It's about seeking God with the kind of faith that wants more than a superficial relationship. It is the faith that says, Lord, I know you brought me this far and you won't leave me now. It is the faith that says, Lord, I do not need to understand everything about you, but I do want to know you more deeply. So don't be afraid, church, to pray boldly.”

38s

#GodlyDirection

“Now that's a powerful statement of faith. Sometimes we become so focused on getting somewhere, we forget to ask whether or not God is leading us there. We become so accomplished, so concerned about accomplishing something that we neglect the spiritual foundation of what we're trying to accomplish. We want growth, but have we sought God's direction. We want success, but have we considered God's purpose? We wanna move forward, but are we willing to wait on God's guidance?”

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Trinity United Methodist Church, Little Rock, AR This sermon · AI assistant

Why does Moses seek God’s presence?

How can faith differ from skepticism?

Why can’t believers control God’s revelation?