[Acts: Inspiration For Transformation Series] God Of GloryIsampula

God of Glory to Personal Story

Philip Sundar

Stephen’s speech recorded in Acts chapter 7 is one of the most interesting ones in the New Testament. He begins his response to the high priest by saying: “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia…” This is the first mention of the phrase, “the God of glory” in the New Testament and many of us might not fully grasp the weight of the phrase unless we pause to reflect. Here, Stephen seems to be pointing to the awesome way in which God revealed Himself to Abraham, a man from a family that served other gods. 

In continuing his speech, Stephen emphasized that God established a covenant with Abraham, who in turn walked out God’s promise and became a giant of faith. Abraham walked closely with God and became God’s friend.

Abraham saw God’s glory and, in keeping His promise to Abraham, God worked through Abraham’s descendants—Joseph, Moses, and Joshua, to fulfill His purposes for His people. Through Joseph’s experiences, we learn how God protects and preserves us when we trust Him. God “delivered him [Joseph] out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house” (Acts 7:10).

Staying focused on a God-given promise is a choice. Joseph overcame impossible situations because he held firmly to God’s promises. Like Joseph, we can more boldly face the problems we encounter when we keep God’s promises in view. We journey knowing that our lives are in the hands of a promise keeper. 

Hundreds of years after Joseph, the Jewish people were held in slavery in Egypt, as God had told Abraham. They had a cry within their hearts. God heard their pleas and used Moses and Joshua to bring them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Again, Stephen’s detailed account of how God worked through Israel’s failings and victories shows us a God who remained faithful to His promises. 

The key to God’s plan is His presence. “The Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands,” says Acts 7:48. The Messiah established a kingdom in which God’s people would truly worship God in spirit and truth any time, any place. Through the Holy Spirit working in and through every believer, our personal story can be a testimony to the faithfulness of the God of glory.

Respond:

The Messiah has come, and He deserves true worship! In what ways does your lifestyle exhibit true worship? Consider ways you can be bolder in praising the God of glory.