Recognizing Glory

"Lord let Your glory fall today." Matt Redman
"Show me Your glory." Third Day
"And the glory of the Lord shone around them." Luke by way of Lynus from Charlie Brown.

We sing songs and praises to God, crying out to see His glory, but do we really know what we are asking for? Glory is derived from the Latin for fame or renown, and means the manifestation of God in the Christian tradition. We ask God to reveal His glory to us, but never imagine what that might look like.

I have a friend who prayed not to be lukewarm in her faith. She wanted to be on fire for God, and prayed that He would shower her with His glory. A few months later, her son was diagnosed with leukemia. She had to depend on God like never before, and the result was that she was on fire for God, as she had prayed. God revealed His glory to her in a way that got her attention, but not necessarily in the way she had planned on.

Another friend has been praying for her husband to be the leader in their house. Recently a decision came up involving a cross-country move for a new job, and she had a choice to make. Badger him into not taking the job because she is happy here, or pray for him as the head of their household, for God to give Him wisdom as he made the decision. She chose to pray for Him, and he has decided to take the job. While she got what she prayed for, a husband ready to seek God for wisdom, this was definitely not the way she thought it would look.

I pray to see God's glory in my life, to be used by Him as He sees fit. If you have been following the saga of getting my son into the same school as his brother, you know that God has been answering my prayer to be used by Him, but this isn't what I asked for. I wanted a tidy warm feeling, a flooding of my spirit by His, a peaceful acknowledgement that He knows me. He knows me alright, and has orchestrated events that blow me away.  People I shouldn't have met in a place I'm not supposed to be touching lives I never meant to intersect with...amazing and glory filled. And I get to be a part of it.

I can't help but wonder if we realize what we are asking for when we invite God's glory into our lives, and if we always recognize it when He shows up. Don't stop praying for it, because it is through His glory poured into our lives that we grow in Him. He will challenge you, stretch your limitations, and push you to the edge.

And it is in that place that you will see His glory.