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.
We live in the town of Ooty which is a hill station in southern part of India. When some high ranking official visits our town, the local authorities will block off certain roads to allow easy access to the officer who is visiting. There is such a flurry of activity that it becomes quite obvious to the entire town that someone important has arrived. The routine life is affected by the visit of the dignitary. If we can give such respect to a human being for the position he holds, how much more honor and reverence is the God of heaven and earth worthy to receive from us.
Wistfully the faith, offerings, prayers and fasting of a majority of believers too is focused on making them channels whereby one can receive earthly blessings from the Lord. Just take a check as to what dominates our prayer time. We will be surprised to know that we hardly take time to ponder and praise God for who He really is. Worship is to comprehend who God truly is and give Him the rightful honor that is due Him alone. Those who seek God solely to have their needs met will waver in their faith or back slide when encountered with hardships or when prayers are not answered or delayed. However, the one who seeks God for who He really is, comprehending the worthiness of God, will never be shaken in their faith, through all the ups and downs of life, with all its trials and challenges, for they know whom they believe.
The glory of God that Moses desired to behold
Moses had experienced the wonderful power and might of God both in Egypt and in their journey through the wilderness. Moses had experienced the mighty hand of God as He performed the astounding miracle of parting the Red Sea, to make a way for the people of Israel to cross over safely to freedom from the Egyptian bondage. He had also witnessed the power of God when He used the same sea to drown the Egyptians who were in hot pursuit of the Israelites, with all their mighty chariots and horses. More than six lakhs men alone apart from women, children and livestock journeyed through the wilderness, led by Moses. God provided them with manna every day and quenched their thirst throughout this arduous journey in a most amazing ways. Moses as the leader of this great nation, had witnessed first-hand all of these marvelous dealings and wonders of God.
Nonetheless, in Exodus 33:18, here’s what Moses said to God, “Then Moses said, "Now, please show me your Glory." (ERV)
In essence Moses was saying to God that He was the most important person whose glory he longed to see and this he considered far more significant than the wonders God performed.
Here’s a good lesson for us to take from the life of Moses. May we too value God and seek Him for who He is, rather than for all the miraculous things that He can accomplish in our lives.
The glory of Jesus was revealed in the marriage at Cana of Galilee
We read in John 2:11, “This beginning of the miracles that Jesus did took place in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.” (AFV)
In this incident recorded in John chapter 2, Jesus and His mother, along with His disciples were invited to this wedding. Mary the mother of Jesus, informed Him that there was a lack at the wedding. Jesus stepped in to do an astounding miracle whereby the dearth was changed to abundance and anxiety was turned to joy. There was a shortage of wine at this wedding and this wine was prepared with much care and preserved for many years to make it special.
Jesus instructed the servants to do something strange when He asked them to fill the six stone water jars that were standing outside with water. These water jars were generally filled with water and left outside so people could wash their feet. In obedience to the words of Jesus, the servants filled these water jars with water. When this water which was turned to wine was served to the guests at the wedding, there was great wonderment as to how this wine that was served towards the end of the days of celebration turned out to be so delicious. As far as the hosts of the wedding were concerned their lack was changed to surplus and they were content with it.
However, in John 2:11, details the fact that when Jesus performed this miracle His glory was revealed to His disciples and they put their faith in Him. Jesus, through this miracle proved that He transcends time. For the disciples who followed Jesus, they first comprehended who Jesus really was, caught a glimpse of His glory and placed their trust in Him.
When God gives heed to our petitions and answers our prayers there is most certainly the sense of untold joy. Have you noticed how when God gives it is always bountiful and overflowing? We too need miracles and wonders to be performed in our lives. However, we must keep in mind that it is far more substantial that we comprehend who this Almighty God is. He is the creator of heaven and earth who is worthy of all our honor and interestingly when we give Him what is due to Him, we are guaranteed to see wonders in our lives.
That is why Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:33, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (NLT)
There may be some who argue that they have no time for God and have to spend all of their waking hours working on things pertaining to their daily work schedules. To such I want to encourage you that if you are willing to give God priority, take time to read His word, and seek to understand the glory of this God we believe in, then you can be sure that everything else you desire will follow. It is a given that we all have needs and we all require the Lord to intervene in our impossible situations. Nevertheless, when we seek God simply because of who He is to us, the outcome of such a decision is that not only will we receive our miracles, but God will be glorified through all of it. We will also gladly testify to God’s glory and goodness to all who inquire of us.
The glory that was manifested at the transfiguration
We read in Matthew 17:2, “And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.”(ESV)
Also in Matthew 17:6, “When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified.” (NASB)
Jesus took three of His disciples to the top of the mount where He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and his clothes dazzled white as the light. We all know that one can’t look at the sun for even a few seconds as the light it emanates is so powerful and can be blinding. Such was the radiance that emerged from the face of Jesus. There was a thunderous voice of God the Father who declared that Jesus was His beloved son in whom He was well pleased and that they were to give heed to Him. As the disciples watched in awe at this glorious sight and heard this incredible voice of God, they were completely astonished and fell face down to the ground. This was one of the crucial manifestations to the disciples of who Jesus truly was.
The disciples when they began following Jesus had very little insight as to who He was. However as time passed and they witnessed the mighty deeds He performed they realized who He really was. It was their knowledge of the glory of God as revealed in Jesus that made them cling on to Jesus so firmly and made them willing even to lay down their lives for His sake.
May we too yearn to know God, love Him and follow Him for who He truly is. He is our God who is worthy of all our honor and reverence. When Jesus was here on earth He forgave sins because He had the authority to do so. There are many ways in which we sin both against God and men. However, we can ask God to forgive us and He has the power to forgive us and cleanse us from all our sins.
God alone is worthy of all our glory
I would like to conclude with the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 115:1, “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Your name give glory for Your mercy and for Your truth's sake.” (AFV)
Let this be our prayer every day. This is what Jesus too taught His disciples in what we call ‘The Lord’s Prayer.’ The first line of that prayer which is ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’ is a reminder that God’s name should be honored and revered above all else. Our lives must be surrendered to God so that everything we do will bring glory to God alone. We must learn to seek God daily in prayer not to just have our mundane needs met, but that we would catch a glimpse of His glory every day. Our deepest longing must be that the Lord’s name alone should be glorified in and through our lives.
Pastor Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by Sis. Esther Collins
