Desire God's Glory Series

Desire God’s Glory

We read in Psalm 91:9-10, “Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” (KJV)

Psalm 91:10 is rendered this way in another version, “So nothing bad will happen to you. No diseases will come near your home.” (ERV) This is a profound promise which can be appropriated by anyone who has decided to make the Lord their dwelling place.

David longed to look on God’s glory

Psalm 27:4 explains to us how David had in reality made God his dwelling place. He says in Psalm 27:4, “One prayer have I made to the Lord, and this is my heart's desire; that I may have a place in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, looking on his glory, and getting wisdom in his Temple.” (BBE)

The part of the verse that we will ponder on in this study is about ‘looking on God’s glory.’ David fervently desired to be in God’s temple all the days of his life, so he could behold the glory and the beauty of the Lord. In contrast a majority of people simply wish to receive material blessings and miracles from the Lord, with no desire whatsoever to see the glory of God.

What is the glory of God?

The glory of God can be described as the magnitude or weightiness of God. It is the ability to perceive how great and awesome God really is and thereby give Him the due honor and worship. May it be our longing like David to behold the glory of God in our personal lives and this desire should supersede that of wanting to just see miracles being performed in our lives.

What were the multitudes seeking?

In John 6:1-13 we read about the miracle that Jesus performed with five loaves and 2 small fish to feed five thousand men apart from women and children. The multitudes who witnessed this miracle and partook of this sumptuous meal were flocking behind Jesus.

These are the words of the people to Jesus in John 6:25, “The people found Jesus on the other side of the lake. They asked him, "Teacher, when did you come here?" (ERV)

When the crowds found Jesus had reached the other side of the lake, they were surprised as to how He got there. On finding Him, these were their words to Jesus as recorded in John 6:25. They address Jesus as ‘Rabbi or Teacher’ and made enquiries as to how He actually got to the other side. On the surface the way they referred to Jesus made it appear that they were thronging to hear His teachings. However, Jesus didn’t get carried away by their kind enquiries for He knew the real intention as to why they sought after Him.

Listen to Jesus’ reply to them in John 6:26, “Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” (NKJV)

Jesus was forthright to tell the crowds that were following Him that they were seeking Him only have their physical needs met. The crowds thought they could flatter Jesus with their words, but He saw right through and perceived their hidden motives. Jesus had to admonish them that He knew that they had come after Him simply because they had just had their appetites appeased.

Have you observed how we too like the crowds that followed Jesus, say somethings to God with our lips though in reality our hearts are seeking something else. It is a good reminder for us to know that we have a God who can look deep within and discern our inmost thoughts.

Seek the Bread that truly satisfies

We read in John 6:41, “Then the Jews were complaining against Him, because He said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." (AFV)

To the crowds who came seeking Him for physical food, Jesus explained to them that He was the True Bread who came down from heaven, the One who could truly satisfy their souls. This crucial message was sadly not accepted by the majority who followed Jesus. They sought after the good things and blessings that God could give them, but did not really want Him.

Paul explained this succinctly in 1 Corinthians 15:19, “If for this life only we Christians have set our hopes on Christ, we are the most pitiable people in the world.” (Williams)

Paul’s admonition is for those of us who are followers of Christ, that if we seek after the Lord only for material blessings that we can receive from Him for this earthly life, then we are to be pitied more than all the other people in the world.