Sudden Glory

“Fire came out from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell face-down on the ground.” (Leviticus 9:24 CSB)

If we were to suddenly see the glory of God appear as it did that day to Israel at the tent of meeting, or as it did on the road to Damascus as it did to Saul of Tarsus, I dare say we would all no doubt do exactly as they did and head for the ground. We would find it absolutely terrifying, as they did, and we would fear for our lives. Such an awesome display of glory and power would deplete every last ounce of energy we would have in our knees. Such is the impact of the revealed glory of God.

Currently, there is a sort of “veil of invisibility” that prevents us from seeing the actual glory of God. The glory of God is veiled from us, but that by no means suggests that it is not there. God is there before us, and so is His glory. God just does not reveal it to us because He knows it would scare us half out of our wits, and because He knows it would be a dangerous thing for us to see. The time will come, as the Bible promises, when we see certainly see Him in all His glory.

The reality for Christians is that the Holy Spirit dwells within each of our hearts, and, therefore, the glory of God also resides within us. That suggests that every day we need to come before the Lord and bow to His glory within, thank Him for it, and ask Him to let His light in us thus shine out through our lives, so that our influence will be used to bring others to know Him as we do.

Lord, Indeed, that is our prayer, that Your light and glory in us will serve Your purposes in shining into the life today of someone who needs to know You and Your great love for them. Amen.