How Do We See God's Glory?
By: Brian Marston
Have you ever seen something so beautiful that it was difficult to describe it to someone who wasn’t there to witness it? I remember one early morning when I was surfing, the moon was full and descending into the horizon. It was the biggest moon I’d ever seen! Then the sunlight on the opposite horizon was just making its entrance with brilliant colors of the morning! I will never forget those sights and colors as I surfed in the cold winter ocean.
Every time I think about that moment, it reminds me of how amazing, creative, and big God truly is. It draws me into a passage of Scripture that speaks of the glory of God—Psalm 19.
The first four verses of this psalm read,
1“The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.”
This psalm is saying that the heavens constantly preach, proclaim, or tell us of the glory of God—without actual words or speech. So, what exactly is glory? I have heard one definition of glory as the combination of power and beauty. Consider a rose for example. All it has is beauty. However, the person who has the ability to create that rose possesses a combination of beauty and power! That full moon I saw descending into the horizon, with the sun rising on the opposite horizon, displayed the power and beauty of God!
What are other ways we can see God’s glory?
First, we see His glory in sheer size. Technology has given some idea of the vastness of this universe. The Hubble Telescope allows us to see some 600 trillion miles. We’ve learned that the universe is huge.
California is a big state, but it’s just one of the 50 United States in North America… which is only one of seven continents on the Earth…which is a small planet in our solar system…which is a small part of the Milky Way Galaxy…which is a speck compared to the enormity we are learning more about!
My point is that the heavens are telling us that the universe is massive! The creator has to be bigger than what was created. We know God is massive because He created a massive universe that shouts His glory.
Second, we learn about God’s glory by His engineering. The universe is made up of atoms and particles that all work together in sync. Your body, for instance, is fascinating! God created your heart to pump 200 gallons of blood each day. We should just marvel at that! This tells us that God is a brilliant scientist! Einstein had nothing on God. God is the One who made everything, including Einstein. That’s a part of God’s glory.
Third, we see the glory of God just in beauty itself. The world that we live in doesn’t have to be beautiful. We didn’t merit or earn anything in this regard, yet God made a world with color, texture, clarity, harmony, and symmetry. Then God gave us five senses to see, hear, smell, touch, and taste the beautiful world around us. God made that because God is an incredible artist. His creation is telling us that God is beautiful.
And finally, God’s glory is in His goodness. Now, I’m aware that the world can also terrifying at times. Natural events such as tsunamis, earthquakes, and hurricanes can be devastating and frightening. But, by and large, the world God created is full of goodness and plenty. Goodness is that which benefits us. The universe, as God designed it, has so much goodness in it that benefits us.
Again, God didn’t have to make it that way. But he did! God is massive. God is a brilliant scientist. God is beautiful. And God is good!
C. H. Spurgeon said this, “Though all creatures on earth should grow silent, and every human mouth should cease from publishing the glory of God, the heavens above will never cease to declare and proclaim his majesty and glory.”
They are forever preaching. They’re like an unbroken chain. And their message is delivered from day to day and from night to night. The heavens are forever preaching that God is glorious! Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Brian Marston is a pastor here at Shepherd Church on our Life Groups team.