Yours is the glory

Topic: Prayer

Focus: Yours is the glory

Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV) Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

It’s humbling and fearsome to write about the glory of God. Who can really put into terms something so awesome? I feel completely unequipped to speak with any authority about something so Holy. Yet, this is an important part of the prayer Jesus taught us to pray.

The way the word glory is used in the prayer is interesting. It’s almost like the cap stone, or the crown, or the frosting on the cake, when Jesus says: “For yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory.”

When we research the meaning of the word glory, we find that it has a variety of interpretations, depending on the context. Some of the words used to describe the glory of God are: abundance, wealth, treasure, honor, dignity, splendor, brightness, majesty, and infinite perfection.

Some of the writers of the Bible speak about the glory of the Lord being like fire, or a cloud. Another person describing it said that the glory of the Lord was like smoke. Other scriptures refer to it as a weight or covering.

If I had to sum up my impression of the glory of God, I would say in very humble and general terms, that it could be the outward manifestation and demonstration of the purity, power, presence, resources, righteousness, love, compassion, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, wisdom, creativity, intelligence, and beauty of the Lord.

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The intensity level of the purity, power, and presence of these qualities is infinitely beyond what any human can fathom or conceive…to the point that we would die if we looked at Him or we would melt at sound of His voice, if He didn’t protect us from that happening.

It’s very difficult to even attempt describing the glory of God in words. The magnitude of qualities so far beyond human comprehension can’t be adequately assessed.

We see only a tiny margin of His glory in the most beautiful sunrise or sunset. Another subtle suggestion would be a tsunami or a raging, consuming fire. But even those comparisons are small.

With our eyes, we can only see a portion of the atmosphere above our tiny planet located in the solar system where we live. Beyond our atmosphere, there are numerous solar systems in the universe, and God holds all of it in his hands…

As we try to grasp what the glory of the Lord is, an important thing for us to contemplate is that the true glory of God can only be attributed or ascribed to Him alone. There is no human or other being who could possess the qualities or energy that come from Him. Nothing else comes close to the grandeur of His greatness.

Just as the Lord possesses His own right to rule His kingdom, and holy power to rule, He also has His own right to demonstrate His attributes—resulting in the revelation of His glory.

When we say, “Yours is the glory”, we are confirming the ownership of His glory. All things are His—including His glory.

Searching for ways to recognize and describe the glory of the Lord brings praise and honor to Him. We should challenge ourselves to actively seek and notice new things about His glory that are continually being revealed.

Our God is not a thing that is measurable or definable. He has all surpassing greatness, which means that He continues to re-invent Himself as He becomes greater and greater and greater. Nothing changes as far as His standards, His moral perfection, and His culminated power—it’s just that everything He is continues to intensify.

How can we properly praise one who is so great as our God? The ever-growing revelation of His glorious and all surpassing greatness should fill us with ongoing peace and the ability to trust Him completely day after day throughout our lives.

Declaration: I will find new strength by resting in the glory of the Lord and giving Him all of my praise.