The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
—Psalm 19:1
The glory of the Lord stretches across the heavens into the heart of man. One of the definitions of the word “glory” states that glory is “something that is a source of honor and admiration.” God is the source of all honor and admiration. His glory is His infinite grace that radiates out of His character. The heavens declare the glory of God, the psalmist proclaims. The Creator, who created man in His own image (Genesis 1:27), the majesty of the heavens, and everything beyond human perception, is worthy of all honor and praise (Psalm 18:3).
What is God’s glory to us who believe in Jesus Christ? Is it high above us—unreachable and unsearchable? Is it beyond perception and cannot be personally experienced?
Right before Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane, He asked God to glorify Him so that He might glorify God. Knowing what was before Him, Jesus not only prayed for his disciples but also for us.
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21, NKJV).
And then Jesus prayed about God’s glory.
And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me.
—John 17:22-23a (NKJV)
The glory of God that was given to Jesus is given to us so that we may be one in Him. God is in Jesus, and Jesus is in everyone who by faith has believed upon His name.
The Creator out of His great mercy became the created. The glory of God revealed in the heavens—His infinite beauty—His righteousness—the fullness of His Spirit came to live within our spirits when they were made new in Christ (John 6:3, 2 Corinthians 5:17). The glory of God that once was only outside the heart of man now lives within those who believe.
Paul prayed “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17-18, NKJV).
May the Holy Spirit reveal to you the overwhelming love and the righteousness and the power that Christ in His perfect sacrifice has purchased for you. May you have a revelation of His grace—that the glory that was given to the Son now is also in you—He is in you, and you are in Him. May you know with confidence the call of His Spirit within you. May you believe without any doubt the riches of the glory that is your inheritance.
We were created to glorify the One who created us. God’s glory and craftmanship are revealed in us—His creation. We have become the work of His hands. The glory that once was without—the glory that once was a consuming fire in man’s presence (Exodus 24:16-17)—has now come in redemption and healing grace into the hearts of men.
Lord, I humble myself to understand the glory that you have given me. I pray the revelation of your life within me renews my mind and conforms me to the image you have of me (Romans 12:2). Teach me the new creation that you have made me. I am in you, and you are in me.
© 2021 Lynn Lacher
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