Resting in God's Glory

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you” (Is. 60: 1–2).

Many different pictures enter our minds when we think about the glory of God. But what is God’s glory? It is the radiance of His Holiness. The glory of God refers to what He is, all of His attributes, His greatness that is His glory, and His glory should cause us to stand in awe and wonder. We are to glorify Him: Psalm 29:2 says, “Give unto the Lord the glory due His name” (KJV).

When we hear about the glory of God, many times we imagine the cloud of God's glory descending on Mt. Sinai or in the Tabernacle; the Shekinah glory of God was so heavy at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple, that the priests could not stand to minister to the Lord (2 Chron. 5:14; 1 Kings 8:11).

God's glory is not limited to the Old Testament—His glory is all through the New Testament as well. The Beloved Disciple describes the glory of God:

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14 NIV).

Jesus is to us a living hope and Christ in us is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27 NASB). In Him we find rest—for Christ is the glory of God. Heb. 1:3 tells us, “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they” (NASB).

We can rest in the glory of God through Jesus Christ who sustains creation (Heb. 1:3), secures our salvation (Heb.7:25), and rests at the right hand of God (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 1:3). He is not resting idly in a cloud, He continues to intercede on our behalf (Rom. 8:34), sustains creation and holds the world in His hands (Heb. 1:3). Rest in the fact that Christ is in you the hope of glory and take that glory to the world.

This morning in my devotion, I was reading a prayer from the Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions;

Jesus My Glory

O Lord God,

Thou hast commanded me to believe in Jesus; and I would flee no other refuge, wash in no other fountain, build on no other foundation, receive from no other fullness, rest in no other relief.

His water and blood were not severed in their flow at the cross, may they never be separated in my creed and my experiences;

May I be equally convinced of the guilt and pollution of sin, feel my need of a prince and saviour, implore of him repentance as well as forgiveness, love holiness, and be pure in heart, have the mind of Jesus, and tread his steps.

Let me not be at my own disposal, but rejoice that I am under the care of one who is too wise to err, too kind to injure, too tender to crush.

May I scandalize none by my temper and conduct, but recommend and endear Christ to all around, bestow food on everyone as circumstances permit, and decline no opportunity of usefulness.

Grant that I may value my substance, not as the medium of pride and luxury, but as the means of my support and stewardship.

Help me to guide my affections with discretion, to own no man anything, to be able to give to him that needeth, to feel it my duty and pleasure to be merciful and forgiving, to show the world the likeness of Jesus. (P. 43)