For God’s glory to be displayed, we must be willing to do the necessary preparation.

 

IT’S WORTH CONSIDERING

Preparing for God’s Glory

Solomon’s Temple

 Perhaps the best way to comprehend God’s glory is to equate it with His presence. If he is there, everything He is also is there, and when it is manifested for others to see, we call it His glory. When He is in our midst, His presence is unmistakable. I hope you, too, have experienced a special moment when you know that via the Holy Spirit, God was indeed present. Our words just flowed out in joyful adoration or all in attendance received an unmistakable revelation leaving them speechless. There was no mistaking it. God was there, and His glory came with Him.

If we could examine these times and the events leading up to them, we would find that they were always preceded by a heart-felt time of spiritual preparation. As much as we may want God to show up, He will not unless we have adequately prepared ourselves, our message, and everything else involved. Solomon passionately desired God’s presence to be manifested in the temple he built, and he prepared everything and everyone involved down to the tiniest detail. He spared no expense and took whatever time was required to create a worthy dwelling place for God’s name. He also prepared himself and the people. When the preparations were finally completed and the king had prayed, God sent fire down from heaven to consume the offering. Then the glory of God filled the temple.

AS I SEE IT

About a hundred years later, God sent fire from heaven to consume an offering. On Mount Carmel, God used Elijah to set the stage for another display of His glory. As with Solomon, a lot of preparation had to be done. When we examine everything in Elijah’s life up to that point, it is clear that God was preparing the prophet to trust Him down to the tiniest detail. The same goes for us. If we want God’s glory to be manifested through our lives, we must adequately prepare when we know what should be done, and be willing to allow God to prepare us when we don’t know what is required.

If God’s glory is not being manifested through you or your ministry, take a long and hard look at your times of preparation, especially those on your knees. What is your goal? A “successful” event? A great teaching time? Recognition for yourself? How about God’s glory being revealed? I know firsthand how easy it is to get sidetracked, so consider this a reminder to you and me to keep the manifestation of God’s glory as our prime objective, no matter what our form of ministry is. As with Solomon and Elijah, God desires to display His glory through us, but we must prepare. Everything must be in place. The timing must be right, and our prayers must be all about God’s glory, not our own successful ministries.

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