‘…nations shall run to you for I have glorified you.’ (Isaiah 55:5)

Scriptural references about glory to help us recognize the moments of glory we have already experienced in our lives. We need to understand the way God glorifies us as believers. God shares His glory with no one but if you are in Christ Jesus you are part of God and God allows you to experience glory!

On a few occasions in Jesus’ life on earth God spoke with an audible voice. Some people heard it and others thought it thundered.

As a young man I desired to hear the audible voice of God. One day in Springs my dad asked me to wait outside the bank for him in the car but there was no parking space. I drove around until I found a parking space a street further up opposite the station. I sat in the car wondering when I would have to go and pick my dad up. Then I got an idea: I prayed and asked God to let me know exactly when I should start the car and drive towards the bank.

It was a clear day with no cloud in the sky. I sat there wondering how God was going to tell me when I should go. I waited and waited and suddenly there was loud thunder, once, twice! I took that as my signal and started the car. As I got to the bank my dad came out and I picked him up.

I wondered if that was the audible voice of God that sounded like thunder!

But later on in life I heard the audible voice of God on a few occasions. Nola has also heard it.

Before we left for Australia as missionaries I heard the voice of God call my name twice: ‘Andre, Andre!’ It was 6 am in the morning. At first I thought it was my dad, but when I went to his room he was sound asleep. We stayed with my parents for a few weeks after selling our home and furniture to get the money to purchase the airline tickets to Australia.

Nola also heard the Lord call her name in an audible voice.

On 27th June 1984 at 6 am in the Blue Lagoon Inn in Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia, I heard the voice of God call me: ‘I call you to be an Apostle!’

He also told me audibly to return to the land of my fathers after our work was done in Australia.

These moments are moments of glory.

We all have moments of glory, but we fail to recognize them sometimes. Glory comes in various forms. Sometimes it is academic achievement or sporting victories or promotion or spiritual encounters.

But the secret is that we need to believe that God wants to glorify us like He glorified Jesus. Jesus prayed: ‘Father, glorify me!’ (John 17:5) and God answered: ‘I have glorified you and I will glorify you again.’

Moses asked God to show him His glory (Exodus 33:18) Jesus taught us to pray: ‘the power and glory belongs to God!’ (Matthew 6:13) The angels announced the birth of Christ by singing: ‘glory to God in the highest!’ (Luke 2:14)

Jesus manifested His glory when He performed the miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana. (John 2:11) The disciples beheld His glory. (John 1:14)

Paul wrote in Romans 8:30 that those whom God justified He also glorified. We are called to be conformed to Christ’s glorious image. (Romans 8:29)

Romans 3:23 tell us that all men have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But once we accept Jesus as our Savior that He died for our sins, He restores that glorious relationship! We are sinners saved by grace and God accepts us because we believe in His Son as Lord who died for our sins. Our righteousness is by faith in Christ Jesus.

II Corinthians 4:17 say that all our suffering and hardship works an eternal weight of glory for us! The glory always outweighs the suffering and hardship. We have to believe it and recognize the glory moments.

When Christ who is our life shall appear we shall appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:4) Then we shall have eternal glory!

I Peter 4:4 talks about the Spirit of glory that rests upon us and Jude 24 refers to the presence of His glory.

John 15:8 Jesus reminds us that the Father is glorified when we ask something in Jesus’ Name and He does it for us. Answered prayer is glorious!

Jesus glorified God with the kind of death He suffered. (John 21:19) He became the King of glory. (Psalm 24:8) Through His death He conquered the devil and took away the keys of hell to fulfill His Father’s eternal plan of redemption for the world.

The main message here is that God has already glorified us and wants to continue to glorify His children. Let Him choose how. Let Him decide when. All we have to do is to believe He wants to do it.

When He used you to pray for that sick person and he or she got healed God was glorified but He also glorified you at that moment. When you experienced healing in your own body it was a moment of glory!

When He gave you a word of knowledge or wisdom to help someone in need, there was a moment of glory. When He came through for you miraculously to provide for you in the nick of time, it was glorious! When He gave you a vision in a dream you woke up with glory all around! When we worship Him in spirit and truth it becomes glorious because our God inhabits our praises! (Psalm 22:3)

When He forgave your sins it was a glorious moment! When He set you free it was glorious! When He led you through difficult circumstances you experienced His glory! When He helped you to forgive someone that sinned against you it is glorious! When you blessed someone that cursed you it is glorious!

When you overcome things in your own life it leads to glory!

He has glorified you and He will glorify you again! Recognize those moments of glory! He is the God of glory! Glory belongs to Him in the Church! We glorify His Name with singing and dancing before Him with joy! We glorify His Name by testifying to others about His goodness and His mercy.

Peter says the kind of joy we experience is ‘a joy unspeakable and full of glory!’ The world cannot give such joy! We rejoice in Him, our Lord and Savior! He is our Joy! He is our peace! He is our glory! We serve a glorious Lord! And He lets us taste His glory from time to time.

When you go through hard times, know this, that the glory always outweighs the suffering!