About the Hymn
When Moses wanted assurance that God would go with him as he led the Israelites in the wilderness, the LORD gave him that assurance: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Moses—brave soul—said, “Show me your glory.” And God did. So that Moses would not be overcome, God hid him in the cleft of a rock while “my glory passes by.” God also shared “the Name” with Moses (Exodus 34:5–6): “I am the LORD, the LORD,” the covenant God, the God who keeps promises, compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
But that wasn’t all. God was visibly present with the entire nation throughout their journey in a cloud of fire: Shekinah, the glory-cloud.
What glimpses of God’s presence do we have today? That’s what this hymn explores. God promises to walk with us and guide our ways (stanza 1). How dumbstruck we mortals would be were we to fully perceive the reach of God’s “hidden hand” of daily guidance and protection.
God is clearly with us in the means of grace as well, which stanzas 3-5 explore: the Word, the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, and the Sacrament of the Altar. God forgive us when we take these “glimpses of glory” for granted, when we forget how sacred and mysterious and miraculous they are!
And one morning, on the morning, we will wake up in the LORD’s full presence. Those earthly glimpses of glory will become an eternal gaze on the actual face of God. Only then, in that other world, that other existence, will we be able to bear it.
The hymn should be performed at an assured♩= ca. 56. The bass should be doubled at the octave during the refrain.
Text
1. The LORD, the LORD—he promises his presence.
He walks with us because we are his own.
A silent pow’r, a hidden hand, to bless us,
he promises we’ll never be alone.
Refrain:
The LORD, the LORD—although we do not see him,
he’s here, he’s here—his power and his grace.
With eyes of faith, we trace each glimpse of glory
till glimpse becomes eternal gaze.
2. The LORD, the LORD—not here in cloud or fire,
as Moses and the Israelites beheld,
and yet his Name he whispers to inspire;
in hearts and homes of faith he fully dwells.
Refrain
3. The LORD, the LORD—he’s here in Scripture’s pages,
the songs and stories of the ancient scrolls.
He breathed his love into the words and phrases
that reach the secret places in our souls.
Refrain
4. The LORD, the LORD—he’s here in font of water.
He pours his glory on the child of earth.
He gives his mark and calls them son and daughter.
The Father, Son, and Spirit give new birth.
Refrain
5. The LORD, the LORD—he’s here upon this altar.
He’s present in this supper he has spread.
Ascended to his Father, he now offers
his flesh and blood in common wine and bread.
Refrain
6. The LORD, the LORD—these glimpses of his glory,
the written Word, the water, wafer, wine,
will be swept up into a brand new morning
when we will wake to see his face divine.
Refrain
© 2017 Laurie F. Gauger
Lectionary Reading
Year A, Season after Pentecost, Proper 24 (29): Exodus 33:12–23
Moses and the Glory of the Lord
Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
