THE REVELATION OF GOD’S GLORY
Scripture makes clear that it is possible for every true follower of Jesus to see and understand the glory of God. Indeed, our Lord reveals His glory to all who ask and seek for it diligently. I believe the revelation of God’s glory will equip His people for the perilous days ahead. Paul states that this revelation “is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).
Contrary to some Christians’ thinking, the glory of God is not a physical manifestation of some kind. It’s not an ecstatic feeling that overcomes you nor is it a kind of supernatural aura or angelic light that bursts forth. Simply put, God’s glory is a revelation of His nature and attributes!
When we pray, “Lord, show me Your glory,” we are actually praying, “Father, reveal to me who You are.” And if the Lord does give us a revelation of His glory, it is of how He wants to be known by us.
Moses’ experience with the glory of God demonstrates this truth. The Lord sent Moses to deliver Israel without giving him a full revelation of who the God of Israel was. The Lord merely told him, “Go, and say I AM sent you” (see Exodus 3:14). But He gave no explanation of who "I AM" was.
I believe this is why Moses cried, “I beseech Thee, shew me Thy glory” (Exodus 33:18). Moses had a gnawing hunger and thirst to know who the great I AM was—to know what His nature and character were all about.
The Lord answered Moses’ prayer. First, He instructed Moses to hide himself in the cleft of a rock. Yet, as Moses waited for the glory of God to appear, he heard no thunder, saw no lightning, felt no shaking of the earth. Rather, God’s glory came to him in a simple revelation: “The Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression” (Exodus 34:6-7).
Contrary to some Christians’ thinking, the glory of God is not a physical manifestation of some kind. It’s not an ecstatic feeling that overcomes you nor is it a kind of supernatural aura or angelic light that bursts forth. Simply put, God’s glory is a revelation of His nature and attributes!
When we pray, “Lord, show me Your glory,” we are actually praying, “Father, reveal to me who You are.” And if the Lord does give us a revelation of His glory, it is of how He wants to be known by us.
Moses’ experience with the glory of God demonstrates this truth. The Lord sent Moses to deliver Israel without giving him a full revelation of who the God of Israel was. The Lord merely told him, “Go, and say I AM sent you” (see Exodus 3:14). But He gave no explanation of who "I AM" was.
I believe this is why Moses cried, “I beseech Thee, shew me Thy glory” (Exodus 33:18). Moses had a gnawing hunger and thirst to know who the great I AM was—to know what His nature and character were all about.
The Lord answered Moses’ prayer. First, He instructed Moses to hide himself in the cleft of a rock. Yet, as Moses waited for the glory of God to appear, he heard no thunder, saw no lightning, felt no shaking of the earth. Rather, God’s glory came to him in a simple revelation: “The Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression” (Exodus 34:6-7).