The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Psalm 19:1 NASB
What do we mean when we say we want to see God’s glory? Generally, that simply means we want to see Him manifest His presence in some way. The word glory literally means ‘the weight of His presence’. We have but to look to all of creation to see and feel the sheer weight of His presence…and even if we feel nothing, our faith steps in and allows us to recognize His presence in spite of our lack of feeling!
I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And will glorify Your name forever.
For Your lovingkindness toward me is great,
And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
Psalm 86:12-13 NASB
Understanding that we are able to witness God’s glory leads to the question ‘What does it mean for me to glorify God?’ I believe it means that we are to believe He enjoys the weight of our presence! Sounds a bit crazy, but I believe that this is true. Just how do we give God the weight of our presence? By being present with Him!
When I am with my children or grandchildren, I simply enjoy being with them. I am quite sure I enjoy their presence much more than they enjoy mine…but isn’t that the way it is with Father God and us? I believe He takes more delight in my presence than I take in His! I love ‘being’ with my children! I love hearing them laugh. I enjoy providing comfort when necessary. I enjoy helping them out in times of crisis. I enjoy it mostly when they let me into their lives and allow me to be a part of their lives…and if I, being an earthly father, feel that way, how much more does our heavenly Father feel that same way towards us?!
How do I glorify God? I express my need for Him. I lean into Him. I receive His love for me. I express my love for Him. I express my gratitude to Him for all He has done for me. I revel in His ability to use all things for my good and relish in the fact that He wastes nothing. In other words, I allow Him to bear the weight of my soul…to bear the weight of my identity…to bear the weight of my afflictions…to bear the weight of my suffering and sorrow…to bear the weight of my illness…to bear the weight of my failure. How do I glorify God? I give Him - I trust Him with - all of me.
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have [its] perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4 NASB
When I sense the weight of God’s presence, I find it easier to give Him the weight of mine. When I feel or sense nothing of His presence, that is the point of grace where my faith kicks into gear and I put off the lies of the enemy and replace those lies with the truth of Who God is in that moment.
We are wired, as new creations, to glorify God and we are wired to endure the heavy weight life can bring to our soul from time to time. How do we endure? We glorify God! How do we do that most effectively? We fix our eyes upon Jesus and we receive the grace He has for us in that moment, trusting He causes all things to work together for our good.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB
When we fix our eyes upon Jesus, we effectively take our gaze away from our problems and transfix our eyes on the author of Hope, Jesus Christ. Perspective changes the way we think. Changing the way we think changes the way we feel. Changing the way we feel changes our attitude and leads us to change our behavior…and always brings glory - the weight of our presence - to God in the form of a grateful heart!
The bottom line is this: we are constantly surrounded by the glory of God in spite of our circumstances. Even when we feel alone or abandoned or feel tremendous pain - or feel completely numb - the weight of His presence is like a heavy blanket on a cold winter’s night to our weary, world-worn souls. We but have to lean into His glory with the weight of our own presence - our awareness that He is there and that we can trust Him - to bring glory to the King.
Let me make this easy for us. When in doubt, worship and glorify God. When you don’t know what to do in a certain circumstance, worship and glorify God. When you feel completely and utterly hopeless and defeated, worship and glorify God. He is our glory. Let us be His…
But You, O LORD, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
Psalm 3:3 NASB
Dennis Jernigan
Picture courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/beach-freedom-horizon-man-ocean-1835195/
To listen to The Dennis Jernigan podcast titled Glory to the King, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/glory-to-the-king/
Glory to the King
WORDS & MUSIC
Dennis Jernigan - May 22, 1997
Verse
I will worship my Redeemer
Just because He first loved me
I will worship my Redeemer
Who gave His life to set me free
I will worship my Redeemer
Who by His blood has washed me clean
I will worship my Redeemer
Bow my life before my King
Chorus
Glory to the King Who died to set me free
With all that’s in my soul
There’s not enough to say or do
The depth of love I feel for You
You took my sin away left me redeemed
Glory to the King Whose blood has washed me clean
And all I know is knowing You has set my spirit free
Joy is knowing You know me
And knowing me I know You’re all I need
I will worship my Redeemer
I will worship my Redeemer
Verse
I will worship You, no other
No one loves me like You do
I will worship You, no other
There is no other God like You
I will worship You no other
I find my hope in Your embrace
I will worship You, no other
Resting in Your saving grace
Chorus
Glory to the King Who died to set me free
With all that’s in my soul
There’s not enough to say or do
The depth of love I feel for You
You took my sin away left me redeemed
Glory to the King Whose blood has washed me clean
And all I know is knowing You has set my spirit free
Joy is knowing You know me
And knowing me I know You’re all I need
I will worship my Redeemer
I will worship my Redeemer
I will worship my Redeemer
I will worship my Redeemer