The Hidden Glory
Invited & Shielded
“But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” … “I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand.” — Exodus 33:20, 22 (NIV)
Moses asked to see God’s glory, and God said yes.
But not all at once. Not fully. Not face to face.
Instead, God says something strange and intimate:
“I’ll hide you in the cleft of a rock and cover you with My hand.”
What kind of glory hides?
What kind of love shields you from splendor too great to survive?
This moment is a holy mystery.
It reminds us that God’s glory is both invitation and protection.
Yes, He wants to be seen—but only in a way that will not consume us.
So God hides Moses.
He passes by.
And Moses sees only the back—the afterglow, the trail of glory.
It’s easy to think God is distant when we only glimpse Him in hindsight. But maybe that’s the mercy of it.
Maybe the hiddenness is kindness.
Because the truth is, most of us don’t recognize God’s presence in the moment.
But later?
In the rearview mirror of grace?
We see the hand that covered us. The rock that held us. The glory that passed by.
Sometimes, God is closest when He feels most hidden.
Sometimes, the cleft is a gift.
Sometimes, glory leaves a trail just for you.
Have you ever looked back and realized God was present in a moment you didn’t recognize at the time? How might that shift how you view your present season?
Reflect on these passages:
“But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.
But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:8-10 NIV)
Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “… I am with you and will watch over youwherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” (Genesis 28:10-16 NIV)
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. … When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:13-25)