Reflected Glory

About a year ago I became obsessed with the word “glory” in Scripture. Do you ever do that? Find one word that you have heard frequently and suddenly begin to wonder what it really means?

“…and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” Exodus 40:35

“Thou, O LORD, are a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” Psalm 3:3

“The heavens declare the glory of God.” Psalm 19:1

In Exodus 33, we read the story of Moses asking God to show him His glory. In Isaiah 40 we read that the glory of the LORD shall be revealed and all will see it. In John 17, shortly before being crucified, Jesus prayed, “Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world was.”

Sometimes there are concepts I simply can’t grasp. Take electricity. I have a degree from Georgia Tech and had to pass several courses on physics to do so. I have an amateur radio license which meant I had to study and take tests which included aspects of electricity. But for the life of me, I have no idea how electricity works. I know what life is like with electricity and what life is like without it, but I can’t make electricity and can’t even tell you how or why it works. (Sorry, Dad!)

That’s how it is with me and the word, “glory.” I can’t explain it, but I know something about how it is to be handled in life. Glory belongs to God. Period. Whatever it is, it belongs to Him. We humans have a tendency to try to steal God’s glory. We want to feel like top man on the totem pole. We like creating our miniature kingdoms where we can appear to be top dog, king of the mountain, or whatever other idiom that says, “Look at me! Aren’t I great?!” If power comes along with our little kingdom, all the better. Surely if we have power, we can demand the glory that goes along with that position, can’t we?

When Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray, He taught them to ask:

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:13

Did you hear that? “Father, protect us from the temptation to build ourselves up as bigger than we are. Deliver us from the evil of pride and arrogance that keeps us from seeing You as you really are.” Jesus’ prayer makes a clear statement about Who has the right to rule, Who has the inherent might, and Who alone has such glorious dignity that He alone deserves the pouring out of praise and honor from everyone else. The kingdom, the power, and the glory are God’s.

Walking at the park the other day, listening to Dr. Tony Evans as I like to do, he quoted Isaiah 42:8.

“I am the LORD, that is my name; And my glory I will not give to another.”

God’s name is Jehovah. He is the Eternal One. Do we know Him? Do we know how great He is? When we shine here on this earth with anything that looks like glory, do we realize it is a reflection from the LORD, our Maker? He is the only one with inherent glory, and He is the one who deserves all our honor and praise.

Have you ever noticed sunlight sparkle on a lake, looking like a million diamonds dancing on the surface of the water? Have you seen the moon shining brightly in the night sky and been in awe? We might exclaim that “the lake is beautiful” or “the moon is lovely tonight” instead of saying, “Wow, the sun is full of glory!” That’s because we fail to see what is truly behind the beauty before us. What we see with our eyes is merely the reflected glory of the mighty orb God placed in the heavens to rule the day. And if we look even further to that which we cannot see, we would realize that the mighty sun is merely a reflection of the glory of the Maker Himself.

Maybe our prayer should be that God will keep us aware, every day, of all the reflections of His glory that surround us. May He keep us humble enough to give Him the praise when He allows us to be reflections of His glory. May we thrill when God’s glory splashes across our lives in a way that allows others to praise Him. And may we follow what the Psalmist said in chapter 29, verse 2,

“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name!”

I may not fully understand the word “glory,” but I do understand reflection. May God let me, and you, reflect His glory well!