“...to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore.” (Jude 25)
God’s glory is a pointer to his existence as a God who cares. His glory is meant to affirm that he is not distant, he is close by. He wants to lead, guide and teach us the way we should go. Some people would require a miracle before they can take it all in. Yet all it requires are spiritual eyes and ears to receive what God is showing and saying to us.
God will reveal himself to whoever he wishes, albeit through a dream, vision or through an event. This was the case with Moses as he tended his father-in-law’s flock. “The angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire within a bush.” (Exodus 3:2) What attracted Moses was that the fire was not consuming the bush. A strange phenomenon indeed! So Moses said: “I will go over and see this strange sight - why the bush did not burn up.” (Exodus 3:3) That established the contact. He then heard a voice; “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” (verse 4)
When we marvel at God’s move, we are acknowledging his uniqueness, his power and his might. The burning bush was a sign of God’s presence Moses could not just miss. It was God’s way of captivating his attention. And it worked! It always will even in the midst of the occupations that seem to take up all our time. God can make a move by manifesting his glory in an irresistible way – far removed from creation even.
Sometimes when we abide in God’s presence, his glory is reflected like a mirror in our lives. After a forty-day sojourn on Mount Sinai in the presence of the Lord, Moses returned to the Children of Israel with the two tablets on which the laws were written. His face lit up with God’s glory. “He was not aware that his face was radiant, because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant and they were afraid to come near him.” (Exodus 34:30) The reflection of God’s glory on Moses’ face was so strong that he had to wear a veil each time he came before the Children of Israel. So will it be when we bask in the light of God’s countenance; the life we live, our comportment, our thinking and our speech will be influenced by the experience.
Once, our Lord Jesus, accompanied by Peter, James and John went to a high mountain where he was transfigured before them. “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.” (Matthew 17:2) There, Moses and Elijah appeared on the scene and were talking to Jesus. A bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice which burst out of the cloud said. ‘This is my Son whom I love; with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.’ ” (Matthew 17:5) At this, the disciples fell flat on their faces, terrified.
Who would not be terrified at such an awesome sight - not to mention when the voice of God was distinctly heard? Through this encounter between our Lord Jesus and the prophets, God clearly established the endorsement of his Son’s mission. It was such a stunning scene that rendered the disciples totally paralysed and motionless. While still under the shock, our Lord Jesus had to literally pick them up. “Get up, don’t be afraid.”
The number of times we encounter God’s glory literally jump out of the pages of the Bible. It is not always that we may understand the process because we contemplate more on our ‘insufficiencies and inadequacies’ and wonder at God’s immense favours.
Jacob, on his way to Haran to seek refuge at his maternal uncle’s home, stopped somewhere on the way to spend the night. In his dream “he saw a stairway resting on the earth with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” The Lord was standing there and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.” (Genesis 28:12-14) Then he blessed him and confirmed; “I will never leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (verse 15)
Jacob was just passing through as it were but there he met with God. What he saw was amazing and it frightened him. He remarked when he woke up; “Surely the Lord is in this place and I was not aware of it.” (verse 16) The Lord is everywhere, the reason why he is called Omnipresent; but most times we are not aware because we are not paying attention.
Look for him in the pages of his testaments, the Bible, and ‘when you seek me with all your heart’ he adds, you will find me.’ (Jeremiah 29:13) God’s glory surrounds us; no special goggles needed.
