Enjoying God in Everything: A 5-Day Study by Steve DewittНамуна

The Bible records much about the glory of God. In scripture, God’s “glory” is mentioned in two different ways. One is the worth or honor of God as noted in 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Psalm 29:1. In these passages and throughout the Bible, God’s glory is revered and celebrated as His inherent worth and supremacy.

The other description of glory is its most dazzling and famous—the glory light. The Bible records many sightings of the glory light of God. In Exodus 33, God passes in front of Moses and shows him His glory, so much so that Moses has to hide his face in order to live. When the glory of God shown on the shepherds in Luke 2, they were filled with awestruck fear.

However, the most notable among them occurred one night on a mountain in Galilee. Jesus took Peter, James, and John and went up to a mountaintop, where Jesus was transfigured before the three men and became as bright as light, as the sun (Matthew 17:2).

Can you imagine being there? Jesus lit up like a lighthouse. Two men appear with Him: Moses, representing the Old Testament law, and Elijah, preeminent among the prophets. The once-tired disciples (Luke 9:32) were now wide awake and filled with an adrenaline rush of terror.

What the disciples saw was a fleeting unveiling of the glory of the second person of the Trinity. His glory was cloaked in a human body from the moment of conception in Mary’s womb. This glory light had emanated from Him for all eternity past, but for these thirty years, it had remained hidden. On that mountain, for just a few moments, Jesus let some of it out. It was glory.

And there is remarkable consistency in the response of all who have seen it: terror and humility. Why? The glory of God is a visible display of the beauty and worth of who God is. It is the light of delight. It is what God’s joy in Himself looks like when He allows us to see it.

That blessed and beautiful vision is what our souls crave. Our tears betray our longing for our own perfect experience of it. Some day we will see the reality. Then our suspicions will be confirmed: we were made for a more profound beauty, and the glorious vision of His beauty is the only experience that will satisfy the cravings of our soul.