Tapping into the Lord’s glory

By Taiwo Akinola

And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them … (John 17:22).

Introduction:

From glory to glory! That is God’s primordial passion for His Church and for each new creation man upon the earth (Haggai 2:9). The Christian man is God’s House of glory (Isaiah 60:7). Hence, we are outfitted to glow from glory to glory.
God’s glory is a big deal in the Bible, and it must be so to all who desire to please God and to experience His glory on earth. Meanwhile, it is quintessential that we understand the subject of God’s glory in order to actually tap into it. However, setting forth a precise definition of God’s glory is not an easy venture, and attempting to crystallize its essence is certainly an onerous task.
God is in a class by Himself. He has infinite perfections, infinite greatness, and infinite worth, and hence, whereas God’s glory is a concept that we are truly aware of, unfortunately, we are unable to fully describe it.
In its ordinary usage, glory talks of brightness, lustre, splendour and magnificence, which define the true weight, nature or attribute of a thing. Apostle Paul hinted us that glory comes in weights, which suggests that the glory of God is infinitely weighty (2 Corinthians 4:17).
The glory of God is not just a feeling, an event or an experience. It is a spiritual expression of everything contained in the character of God, His manifest beauty, and the going-public of His holiness. God’s glory is the source and sum of all full and lasting joy; it is the goal of all things, and the unifying goal of history.

The Nexus Between God’s Glory and His Goodness

Meanwhile, there are basic steps of faith by which any believer can tap into more of God’s glory. And, looking up to God by faith is primary in this regard. Just like anything in the kingdom of God, it takes faith to see a manifestation of God’s glory. If we are not expecting to see it, we probably won’t.
The glory of God, Shekinah glory, is a visible power (Exodus 24:17; Habakkuk 3:4). David said he looked up to God and glorious help showed up for him (Psalm 121:1). And, Stephen too gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God (Acts 7:55). If we will look well enough for it by faith, we also can see those same manifestations of God’s glory today.
Furthermore, we must pray for the Lord’s glory if we desire to fully tap into it. Prayer shines the spotlight on God’s attributes of goodness and omnipotence. The Lord encourages and invites us to pray to experience His glory (Psalm 50:15; John 14:13). We must diligently ask and seek for it to be revealed.
Moses saw the glory of God when he prayed (Exodus 33:18). And Esther too. Each believer has the ability to manifest God’s glory here on earth, but we must pray in faith (John 11:40). When we pray the glory into the earth, miracles, signs and wonders will occur in the Church and in our personal lives.

Again, tapping into the Lord’s glory and maintaining its lustres in our lives require that we walk in it on a continuous basis. The glory of God always looks for dedicated dwelling places.
The dwelling place for God’s glory in the Old Testament was the tabernacle, but the Holy Spirit builds a temple in every believer under the New Covenant (1 Corinthians 3:16). We are God’s Tabernacle, today. Only that the tabernacle is no longer a fixed house. Now, it can walk around, preach the gospel and live to the ultimate glory of God!
The believers didn’t go back to their normal routine lives when they experienced the glory of God at Pentecost. They became separate from the world and lived as light in the midst of darkness. They went out, preached, worked miracles, and turned the world upside down for Jesus Christ. And, the Lord added to the Church daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:47). Brethren, that is the glory we should be operating in!