Only one thing can keep us going in the coming hard times and that is an understanding of God’s glory. By grasping it, we unlock the door to an overcoming life!
The glory of God is a revelation of our Lord’s nature and being. In the Old Testament, Moses had a literal glimpse of God’s glory. “The Lord passed before [Moses] and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin’” (Exodus 34:6-7).
This passage of scripture is essential to our understanding of who our Lord is. Often when we think about the glory of God, we think of his majesty and splendor, his power and dominion, or some manifestation in his people, such as exuberant worship. Such things can be a result of seeing God’s glory but this is not the glory by which he wants us to know him. He wants us to know his glory through the revelation of his great love toward humankind. And that is just what he revealed to Moses.
The revelation of God’s glory powerfully affects those who receive it and pray for an understanding of it. Up to this point, Moses had viewed the Lord as a God of law and wrath and he trembled in the Lord’s presence. But this new sight of God’s glory moved Moses to worship without fear. He saw that God was love and his nature was one of kindness and tender mercy!
Attending how-to seminars, hearing famous speakers, or absorbing self-improvement books and messages is fine but the only lasting change comes from having a first-hand revelation of God’s glory. Seeing his glory changes the way we live! It affects our countenance and behavior and makes us more like him. How wonderful to know that God has already given that revelation of himself in Exodus 34 and it is for us!