His brilliance is like light; rays are flashing from his hand. This is where his power is hidden. —Habakkuk 3:4
When God holds back, we can be certain that He’s doing so for our good. We simply couldn’t survive the full force of His power or the unfiltered radiance of His beauty. Every part of His being would overwhelm us. Moses would tell us so, as would Isaiah (Ex. 34; Isa. 6).
It’s of mercy that God holds back. But we can be sure that He isn’t holding out. “He does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity” (Psalm 84:11). God allows us to experi- ence His presence—so far as we desire it and are able to stand it.
God restrains Himself out of mercy and also
to draw us in. He longs for us to know Him far more than we desire to know Him. “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror,” Paul wrote, “but then face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12). Because we have seen a glimpse of His beauty and power, we long to know its fullness. And we will.
Make it Personal
What biblical passages tell of God’s power and beauty? Meditate on these scriptures today.