What does experiencing God’s glory mean?

The word glory comes from the Hebrew word kabowd(kaw-bode’), and this word originally means "weight" or "heaviness or “abundance.”

When Moses is asking God to show him more of His glory, he is asking God for an abundance or overflow of Himself in Moses’ life. Wow! What a request! Moses was not settling for the things he had experienced in his past but was ready for a new encounter of abundance.

One of the main reasons we do not encounter the abundance of God in our lives is because we are already filled with our own personal abundance. Encountering the glory of God is all about allowing God to give you the abundance of His presence. In order to experience this, we must be like John the Baptist who said it the best in John 3:30, “may He increase, so that I may decrease.” The Lord cannot fill what has not first been emptied. When we come to a place in our hearts and say, “Jesus, I need more of you! The measure I have just isn’t enough, I need the overflow - the abundance of your glory”, only then do things begin to change.

The glory Moses received that day soon began to fade (2 Corinthians 3:13). This fading radiance was a sign that Moses had not yet obtained the true eternal weight of glory he was destined to receive (2 Corinthians 4:17). He would have to wait in faith for a greater revelation, which would lead to a greater reflection of glory. We know this is true because centuries later on the mount of transfiguration, as Jesus prays, “His face begins to shine like the sun,” when suddenly Moses and Elijah appear with Him, also ablaze in the radiance of the glory of God.

Long ago Moses saw the glory of God on Mount Sinai in the giving of the law. But on this day, Moses saw a much greater revelation of the glory of God on the Mount of Transfiguration—and he saw it in the face of the One who came to fulfil the law he gave. Moses, the lawgiver, sees the glory of Jesus, the law-fulfiller, who would die for us, the lawbreakers, so that we might receive the same glory! Even now as we behold the glory of God by faith, staring into the loving face of Jesus Christ, we are changed into the glory we behold and love. We grow, Paul says, “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

John 1:14, that tells us, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." That passage is based upon this Exodus 33 text. John is saying that in Jesus Christ we have seen the Father's glory. In John 17:19-21, Jesus prays that you would be invested with His glory, that you might be united to God, that you might behold His glory forever. There is more to come when we shall see Him face to face and see the King of Glory in all His beauty and omnipotence.

You want a changed life? You want a passion for Christ? You want to grow in His grace and likeness? It begins with the holy desire to see His glory. It begins by laying down our hearts before Christ. Contemplate Him. Love Him. Think about Him. Let the pure face of Christ shine upon the heart and spirit. He will be formed in you.

Application Questions:

God enables those whom He calls to see His glory. How important is it to you to know God more intimately and truly than you know him today? Are you willing to pray as Moses prayed?

Quote:

Our ultimate aim in life is not to be healthy, wealthy, prosperous, or problem free. Our ultimate aim in life is to bring glory to God. - Anne Graham Lotz

Prayer:

Lord, I want to know you more and more each day and be transformed into your likeness. Do Your perfect work in me. Amen