Even though it’s not difficult for our flesh to imagine a bitter and angered Moses being denied access to the Promised Land, there is also much grace and mercy in this passage in his just being allowed to catch a glimpse of the promise he had held onto for so many years.

Of course, Moses wasn’t the first to see only a partial glimpse of God’s promise. Abraham, to whom the initial promise was given, only saw the start of his lineage through Isaac, and not the vast number of people who would come from his line. The apostle Paul was only able to catch a glimpse of what would eventually happen because of his missionary and church-planting efforts. Now, we could add name after name to this list, which only begs the question “why?” Why only the glimpses and never the full experience? One answer is because the glimpses allow us to carry a spiritual legacy forward that is intended to outlast ourselves. As Christians, we get to play a part in God’s story of redemption, something far beyond and before ourselves. And in that, we can find more than enough joy in the glimpses He gives us because those glimpses point us to the very face and heart of God.

• In what ways do you anticipate God’s allowing you to play a role in His plans without seeing the outcome?