“Let us see your miracles again; let our children see your glory at work” (Ps. 90:16). Moses, who wrote Psalm 90, surely knew about miracles. He had seen them, felt them, and lived them. A walk down memory lane shows that even a few of the miracles Moses had been part of forms a mind-boggling list.
Moses’ life began with a miracle, for he had been spared while other Hebrew boys were killed at birth. Not only was his life spared, but this child, born as a Hebrew slave, was raised as a member of Pharaoh’s own family (Exod. 2).
Many years later after fleeing to the desert to hide after killing an Egyptian, he was called by God to be the leader of the movement to free the Hebrew slaves and mold them into the Israelite nation. One of the first miracles to occur in this process was the transformation of Moses, a man with little self-confidence and little speaking ability, into the person through whom God would perform many other miracles to accomplish His objective (Exod. 2–3).
Those miracles came swiftly in the form of overwhelming plagues of frogs, gnats, flies, locust, hail, boils, and the death of livestock. Finally, three days of total darkness and then the tragic death of the firstborn son of each Egyptian family convinced Pharaoh to do what he swore he would not do—release the Hebrew slaves (Exod. 8–12).
Not surprisingly, before long Pharaoh and his army pursued the Hebrews. As the slaves stood trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptians, God performed one of the most famous miracles in history when He separated the waters and made a path through the sea, allowing the massive number of Hebrew slaves to pass through to the other side unharmed by the water or the Egyptians (Exod. 13–14).
As the former slaves moved toward a new homeland, there were more miracles during their desert wanderings: water from a rock, bread and quail from Heaven, physical healings, and victories over those who would harm them (Exod. 16–17).
Yes, the Israelites were knee-deep in big-time miracles during the early days of their release from Egypt. And here was Moses looking back to those numerous miracles, asking God to “let us see your miracles again.” What was it about those miracles that caused Moses to long to see more, and what conclusions may we draw from them?
Miracles obviously represent the power, wisdom, and glory that can only be associated with God. Miracles are out of the realm of human ability but fully in the realm of God’s ability. Could it be that Moses longed for miraculous displays of God’s magnificence to encourage the Hebrew children’s faith? From the psalmist’s words, we will assume that these children had not experienced the miracles of the exodus from Egypt. They had to take the stories of God’s power by faith rather than by sight. As we know, this is not always an easy thing to do.
Miracles are also tangible evidence of God’s personal care for us—His protection, love, and provision for us. Was Moses seeking the tangible assurance miracles provide to people of their importance to God?
Did Moses ask God to “let us see your miracles again” because the Israelites’ recollection of the mighty acts of God during the chaotic, early days of their journey had left them feeling as if God had forgotten them during later, calmer times?
Or was Moses actually pleading with God to allow the people to “see” the miracles that were still occurring in their lives? After all, the tangible evidence of God’s guidance and protection was never out of the Israelites’ sight since God’s presence appeared each day as a great cloud and each night as a column of fire (Exod. 13:21-22). And forty years of shelter, food, and water for people and animals in a desert where supplies were limited was miraculous, as was a large group of people living in peace on land that was not their own. God was not absent, but had the people lost sight of His quiet miracles and ever-constant presence?
“Let us see your miracles again; let our children see your glory at work.” We join our voices with Moses asking for the sheer joy of seeing God’s power, wisdom, and glory through His wondrous miracles. But let us also join our voices with Moses asking for help to notice the quiet miracles of each day and God’s presence always with us.
© 2010 Arlina Yates