Glory Revealed

Introduction (from Glory Revealed)

Everyone was crying but me.

I was trapped. Whatever the congregation was sensingóI wasnít. I was wide-awake in a sea of people clearly receiving something divine. My heart desperately wanted to be right there with them, so what did I do? I closed my eyes, lifted my hands, and sang even louder, hoping not to get left behind.

I wanted to see what everyone else was seeing. Touch what everyone else was touching. Feel what everyone else was feeling. Know what everyone else was getting to know.

Have you ever been there? Have you ever felt as though when it comes to connecting with God, youíre missing out? Someone at Sunday school shares about ìall that God has been saying to them lately.î You hear statements like, ìWe saw God in a powerful way...,î or ìGod spoke to me...,î or ìMy walk with God...î It sounds like God is busy making the rounds and visiting everyone at your church, but somehow, youíve landed on the black list. If youíve ever felt that way, welcome to the club.

Throughout history, man has always longed to see the face of the invisible God. Because, as Christians, our faith affects us in an intimate and relational way, we try to apply human sensibilities to describe our relationship with the Lord. We use statements such as ìwalk and talkî or ìhear and seeî óall of which are physical descriptions. Even the psalmist used physical metaphors to express his yearning for Godís presence.

ìTaste and see that the Lord is good.î (Ps. 34:8)

ìI thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God?î (Ps. 42:2)

The truth is, none of us has ever seen the actual face of God with our own eyes or heard his voice with our ears, because God is a spirit and does not have a body like man. The problem isnít with our eyes or ears; itís with our souls. When we read the story of Moses interceding for the Israelites at Mt. Sinai, we are reminded that seeing the face of a holy God is something no sinful man can physically bear. God had to hide Moses in the crack of a mountain, and shield Mosesís face with his hand as he passed by, revealing just a glimpse of his glory.

As a believer, one day in heaven I will see him face to face. The book of Revelation tells us in chapter 22, ìThey will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.î Thatís really exciting and all, but what do I do until then? What about today while I am still here on earth?

How do I have a real life relationship with a God that cannot be seen? A God who is invisible? A God who I know is there? Sure, Iíve seen his creationóhis endless majesty on a starry night. I can sense his infinite detail in the glory of a sunset. I feel his power in the rushing wind of a storm. I can look on a newborn baby and experience the miracle of Godís tenderness. I see the evidence of his existence, but itís not enough. Everywhere I look I see his fingerprints, but I long to see his face.

How do I see God when Iím suffering from cancer or when my best friend betrays me? How can I hear him when I canít decide which job to take, or whom to marry? I need the Lord to communicate with meóto reveal himself.

Is this a cruel joke God has decided to play? Some cosmic version of hide and seek where he creates in us a longing to see him but never allows us to find him? Hardly. The God of the universe has gone to great lengths to make himself known to us. We might not physically see his face or hear his voice, but we can always be assured that he is present. God is not hiding; he is actively revealing himself to us.

This book is about learning to see and to hear God in our everyday lives. God is not silent; we just have to learn how to listen. He is not absent; we just have to know where to look. Sometimes we say, ìI want to see you,î and God says, ìIíve been here all the while.î We say, ìI want to hear you,î and he responds, ìI never stopped talking.î May God use this book to help you dig into the Word so that you can see, hear, and experience God in life changing ways.