We Have Beheld His Glory
"We have beheld His glory, the glory of the One and Only, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (Jn. 1:14)
"She's not going to make it!" the young nurse gasped. It was late evening, November 14, 2002. I had just undergone a surgical procedure, in which my liver was biopsied and my gall bladder removed. I was resting in my hospital room when I received word that the physical trauma of the surgery had caused a severe adverse reaction causing my endocrine system to recoil into pancreatic shock. Nothing could be done; the likelihood of my stabilization was minute. All anyone could do was wait and pray. The nurse strained to maintain her composure. "What are we going to do! Her pancreatic output is off the charts! She's not going to last the night!" Strangely, despite the alarming news and the nurse's distress, I was unafraid. Engulfed in a warmth of supernatural peace, I silently prayed, "Lord, I thought the call on my life was different. But, if this was it, that You would be glorified by taking me Home, then I am Yours..." I turned my head and went to sleep...
When do we see the glory of the Lord displayed? Is it during the good times? Is it during the times when life is comfortable or "going our way"? What is the "glory" of the Lord, anyway?
The Hebrew word for "glory" is kabad, which means "weighty, honored, renowned, greatness, wealth, richness, excellence". So, to see the glory of the Lord displayed would be to see His excellence, His majesty, His awesome greatness manifested in our lives, right? So, when do we see this glory of the Lord?
Believe it or not, we do not see God's glory in our best of times; but rather, He chooses to reveal His glory in our worst situations. Why does He do this? If you think about it, we would not understand the light if there was no darkness. Likewise, joy would not be joy if there was no grief. Many times, God delays His glorious appearances so that we can grasp His wonder in the midst of our dilemma! All throughout scripture, we read countless stories of how the Lord allowed His people to enter into peril so that He could reveal Himself as their glory in it! We see God's glory manifested in the fiery furnace, when He appears as a "son of the gods" to stand with His faithful servants and delivering them from the flames. (see Dan. 3:25) We see God's glory in the lion's den, when He shuts the mouths of the ravenous beasts to protect the man of God from certain death. (see Dan. 6:24). We see God's glory at the tomb of His beloved friend, where He suddenly speaks life into the grave and resurrects the dead. (see Jn. 11:43)
I awoke early in the morning of November 15, 2002, to see the relieved and bewildered expression of my doctor peering over my bedside. With a smile on his face, and a sigh escaping his lips, he said, "Well, your pancreas is normal...you're going to be fine..."
How was the glory of the Lord revealed? It was felt in His peace that transcends all understanding (ref. Phil. 4:7), manifested as a gentle cloak, which blanketed me in the sureness of His Presence. It was displayed in His miraculous touch that stabilized and restored my failing frame.
When have you seen His glory? If you are suffering in a furnace, confronting savage enemies, or facing impending death or loss, fear not! The Lord may be positioning you in those frightful places just so He can show you how glorious He is as your loving, powerful, Almighty Father of Splendor!
"...indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory." (Rom. 8:17)
1 comment:
Now that I have read all your posts to date, I've selected this one to respond to because of the significance of the date on which you wrote it. But my response applies to all of your posts. What I find especially effective in all your entries--and particularly this one--is how you have combined three elements: Encouraging comments, personal experience, and scripture references. The cumulative impact is one of power and grace. And, of course, that is exactly the message you seem to want to convey to all your readers--that submitting to and resting in the sovereignty of God is ultimately an act of both power and grace. The power is the strength of patience, and the grace is the gift of gratitude. I think your use of this tool to reach others who need both power and grace in their trials will become a light in the dark for them. And in what better way can any of us more effectively minister than through providing hope to those who need it most? God bless you in your efforts to minister to others who hurt, Jenness, just as he has blessed you with faith and family and perseverance. I have heard you described as an angel unaware--I would not dispute that. But I also like to think of you as a very earthly symbol of hope--as Emily Dickinson once said (to paraphrase), "a little thing with feathers that sits within the soul." May that little bird fly into many souls and sing her song of God's love for those who suffer.
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