I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
And on Your wondrous works ….
All your works shall praise You, O Lord,
And Your saints shall bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power.
Psalm 145:5, 10-11
*
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty,
The whole earth is full of his glory.
Isaiah 6:3
Glory is… beauty and splendor. Worthy of praise, honor, and thanksgiving. The beatific happiness of heaven. A height of prosperity or achievement. – or so says Webster’s dictionary.
This post isn’t a cogent essay, or even an attempt at such. It is merely bits and pieces here and there – scriptures, songs, quotes – that point to the awesome glory of our God.
We worship a Glorious God. In Desiring God, John Piper says, “The chief end of God is to glorify God and enjoy himself forever,” and that it is because of this that we find such complete satisfaction and pleasure in Him (33). The basic building blocks of this idea are:
The happiness of God in God is the foundation of our happiness in God.
If God did not joyfully uphold and display his glory, the ground of our joy would be gone.
God’s pursuit of praise from us and our pursuit of pleasure in him are in perfect harmony.
For God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. (Piper 50)
This is why acknowledging and praising his glory is important.
His creation reflects His glory. Nature. Newborn babies. Marriages. The person of Jesus Christ. Notwithstanding Christ, who is glory, everything else is a reflection of his glorious, wonderful, powerful nature – a testament of his love for us, that he shows us and lets us share in his glory. We are made complete in the praise of his glory and the satisfaction that follows. And that pleases him.
One of my favorite worship songs right now is “Everything Glorious” from David Crowder Band. The first time I heard (well, that I remember hearing it) was when I was driving back from Montana a few weeks ago. It was a Sunday morning, and my friends and I had our own church service in the car. We wound across the sprawling sort-of-mountains, over the hills. The clouds were so big and fluffy and close that you felt like if you stuck your hand out the window, you could touch them. As we drove down a hill that had clouds scattered across the landscape looking like cotton candy, this song was playing. The photos (taken in Utah) are courtesy of my friend A.S.
The day is brighter here with You
The night is lighter than its hue
Would lead me to believe
Which leads me to believe
(chorus)
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours
What does that make me?
My eyes are small but they have seen
the beauty of enormous things
Which leads me to believe
there’s light enough to see that
(chorus)
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours
From glory to glory
You are glorious You are glorious
From glory to glory
You are glorious. You are glorious
Which leads me to believe
why I can believe
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours
He delights to show me his glory.
He delights when I delight in his glory.
I delight when acknowledging his glory brings me into a deeper understanding of his awesome, all-encompassing, knock-out, drop-dead gorgeous love.
Praise gives perspective.
How awesome it is that he lets us choose to revel in his glory.
It’s like splashing in the lake as a child. You’re only a few inches deep but it’s so good.
How much deeper can we go?
