“My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.” Psalm 108:1-5
Good morning. This summer at Way of Life camp we spent our class time reflecting on the Psalms. I helped teach a group of teens on the emotions expressed in the Psalms which include disappointment, grief, thanksgiving, and praise as proclaimed from Psalm 108.
Besides great love and towering faithfulness, it is God’s glory that the psalmist incorporates into his praise of God. So may our service, our prayers, and our hope become more infused with God’s glory. Because whether this violent world wants to admit it or not, it stands in desperate need of God’s glory. In times of atrocious greed, it is God’s glory that can be the difference-maker. In places of gross injustice, it is God’s glory that can be the game-changer. In spaces of brutal violence, it is God’s glory that can be the life-saver.
But what does God’s glory look like? What does it feel like? There are those who would say we can’t see or feel God’s glory until Jesus returns. Well that’s not entirely accurate. Make no mistake, God’s glory will be on display for all to see when Jesus returns. However, I would argue in big pieces and small fragments that God’s glory has been seen before and can most certainly be seen today.
In Ex 33:18-19, Moses says to God, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
Here in EX 33, we have a powerful and informative demonstration as to the look and feel of God’s glory. First, God’s glory is shown to be good. Therefore, we need not look for God’s glory where evil and wickedness reside because it simply isn’t there.
Nor is God’s glory seen in the corrupt oppression by the strong upon the weak, nor is God’s glory exhibited in the immoral exploitation of the poor by the rich. No, God’s glory appears in the provision of the widow and the orphan; God’s glory is displayed in the washing of feet. For God’s glory is good.
Second, in EX 33, God’s glory is expressed in mercy. Consequently, we should not search for God’s glory where revenge and retribution are the law of the land. For God’s glory does not reveal itself in the electric chair or in a lethal injection, nor is God’s glory witnesses in the wearing of a suicide vest or in the donning of automatic weapons. Rather. God’s glory demonstrates itself in forgiving the one caught in the act of adultery; God’s glory comes in the form of absolving the ones nailing you to the cross. For God’s glory is merciful.
Third, in EX 33, God’s glory is manifested in compassion. Subsequently, we must not look for God’s glory where hate and malice are grown. For God’s glory is not found in the spiteful discourse of inter-denominational conflicts, nor is God’s glory observed in the malicious treatment of one’s adversary. Instead, God’s glory appears in the love of enemies; God’s glory emerges any time God’s people reconcile with one another. Though passages like EX 33 give us beautiful glimpses of God’s glory, it would be dishonest to pretend that there are not moments when God’s glory can seem hidden from us, times when God’s glory feels like it is purposefully avoiding us.
It is in such times and places that we need our strength renewed and our hope restored. While teaching my teens at camp I was reminded of that which renews and restores me…. It’s God’s glory. It is in both the glory I can see now and in the glory waiting to be unveiled as indicated in Romans 8:18.
I realize it is only one scripture long, but as one kid at camp said in my class, “sometimes it only takes one verse to change a life.” And I believe Romans 8:18 does just that as it says, “18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
Now as my class on praise headed toward its conclusion, I posed a question to the teens that essentially posed the question, “how do we sustain our praise of God when we experience grief, anger or disappointment?” “can we praise God if everything around us falls apart?”
As I sat there listening to the teens share their ideas, a consensus began to take shape on how we should respond. Soon I realized it was the same response uttered by both the Psalms and the writer of Romans 8:18. For the teens in my class, the Psalms, and the apostle, Paul, have concluded that our response to grief, anger, and disappointment in our lives should be this… DO NOT GIVE UP.
I believe Romans 8:18 says to us that there is no pit of heartache so deep and dark that the light of God’s glory cannot reach. There is no loneliness so bleak and cold that the glow of God’s glory cannot warm. There is no sin so great and terrible that the waters of God’s glory cannot cleanse. How do I know? Because this glory-yet-to-be-revealed is located...IN US.
So do not give up. Especially when it comes to your prayers. As prayers themselves, one of the most important lessons the Psalms teach is that all prayer ends in praise. With a one or two exceptions, even the lament psalms with their deep heartbreak and profound agony end their prayers with praise.
I believe all of us find it easy to start a prayer, but there are times when praying a prayer through completions feels impossible. Perhaps too many years go by or too many doors close on us, but whatever the case all of us have started prayers that we’ve stopped praying. But it’s not too late to resume those prayers if we can hold to the belief that all prayer, no matter desperate or frustrated its beginning, ends up in praise. It does not always get there easily or swiftly; in reality the journey can take a lifetime for some prayers, but the end is always praise.
In a previous post I mentioned my dear Shiloh friends, Ryan and Teresa, and their powerful example of sustained prayer. Ryan and Teresa experienced numerous delays and setbacks in their efforts to have a child. For four excruciating years their prayers for a child seem to go unnoticed, and yet they kept praying. And in February 2017, their prayers ended in praise with the birth of their son, Marshall.
So I say again, do not give up. Especially when it comes to your loss. In the two to three months after losing Marcus there was one question I constantly had to fight off. And the question was this, “At age 30, had I already lived the best part of my life?”
It took awhile, but with the help of verses like Ro 8:18 I had my answer, “Absolutely not.” For no matter the heartache or disappointment, God’s glory is ready with divine eagerness to reveal and bestow to us something so much better than we had known previously. Regardless the disease or the trial, God’s glory is prepared with holy impatience to unveil and dish out to us something so much sweeter than we’ve ever tasted before.
I would dare say the same holds true even with the greatest joys and successes we've known up til now. As glorious as the last sunset you saw was, isn’t it always the case that another sunset will come along that was better than the one before? As glorious as the birth of a child or grandchild is, there remains an even greater glory waiting to be experienced. As glorious as life-long marriage could ever be, the still exists an even grander glory to be witnessed. With this in mind, God’s people may want to temper their responses to questions that ask us to name the best this or the best that. I think the most honest answer we could give is, “I’m not sure I’ve seen it or tasted it, but I know it’s out there.”
As for what to do when waiting on God’s glory feels like it is taking longer than we think it should. Like Psalm 13, all of us have had moments in our lives and in our prayers where we’ve asked God, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
While such feelings are natural and should always be expressed in our prayers, they are void of perspective. This is not surprising considering the self-absorbed ego of our fallen nature. Unfortunately, to accuse God of procrastination and indecision comes quite naturally to us. Have we ever entertained the notion that we might have a backwards understanding of our waiting on God’s glory?
Now it’s not my intent to split the spiritual atom this morning. However, could it be possible that it is not always a matter of us waiting on God’s glory, but rather the issue is God’s glory waiting on us? Just maybe God’s glory is waiting on us to stop trying to fix our problems by ourselves. Perhaps God’s glory is waiting on us to let go of some habitual sin. Or suppose God’s glory is waiting on us to say yes to a mission it has for us to complete.
When like Moses we say to God, “Show me your glory.” I hear God reply back to us, “Show me your ready.” If there’s one thought that frightens me, it’s the idea that some piece of God’s glory passes me by and I don’t notice it because my heart and spirit were not ready.
And if it’s not our pride or our sin, then it’s our schedules that keeps God’s glory waiting on us. Movies, Concerts, Soccer games, basketball games, mindless facebook surfing, unproductive instagram posting. I could go on listing the countless endeavors we undertake before participating in the work of God’s glory. So many times I see God’s glory standing at the front door with its mop and bucket saying to us, “Ready when you are.”
What is it about our pride, our sin, and our schedules that persuades us to think that there is something or someone more worthy of our time and effort than the glory of God? I’m not sure.
If it’s because our pride has underestimated the grave-shaking goodness of God’s glory to heal what ails us, then may we take this moment to admit that when it comes pondering God’s glory and its goodness...there is no equivalent.
If it’s because our sin has minimized the chain-breaking power of God’s glory to forgive what binds us, then may we use this time right now to concede that when it comes to considering God’s glory and its mercy...there is no rival.
If it’s because our schedules have undervalued the cross-nailing force of God’s glory to unconditionally love those He created, then may we spend the rest of our lives confessing that when it comes to reflecting upon God’s glory and its love, there is no equal.
CJE