The Glory of the Lord
The glory of the Lord will be revealed.
In the fall of 2020, I began an amazing journey into my favorite chapter in the BIble, Isaiah 40. At a time when I most needed a way to measure the unmeasurable, and search the unsearchable, the most exceptional section from the greatest book of all time helped light the way.
The discoveries I made not only strengthened my faith, but also helped make the incomprehensible God more comprehensible. As one finding lost treasure, a pearl of great price, or a never before discovered masterpiece by one of the world's most famous artists, I’ve been overwhelmed by the re-discovery of these most precious truths.
Truths made more resplendent by the unusual times in which we live. Join me for part nine of the series I began last September titled, “When God is big, everything becomes small.” If you missed any of my earlier posts, see my entries on 11/22, 11/8, 11/1, 10/25, 10/18, 10/11, 10/5, and 9/28.
In its simplest terms, Isaiah 40 focuses on the revelation of the glory of God. Although the phrase, “the glory of God will be revealed” is not an unfamiliar concept from scripture, what does it mean?
It is the rarest combination of splendor, majesty, wonder, and awe, in the midst of an encounter with God. Transporting mortals to the outer limits of human experience, more incredible than the adrenaline rush achieved by the most extreme sports enthusiasts, because it also gives us both a taste and a glimpse of eternity. Scripture records these most sacred of all moments as the touchstones of dynamic faith.
In my first eight parts to this series written last fall, I focused primarily on the many verses in Isaiah 40 that remind us of the passing nature of our humanity. We are blooming flowers that have only short moments of splendor, and then quickly fade away. By comparison God is eternal, a flower always in bloom, a fire never extinguished, and the brightest star, so brilliant that clouds can never obscure it.
Isaiah 40:5 states, “And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” How incredible and amazing, that the eternal God would choose to reveal himself to mere blips on the timeline of eternity.
I can’t help but smile, recognizing that Charles Jennens got it right, when he first linked this verse, Isaiah 40:5, to the fourth song in Handel's Messiah. Since then, millions have listened to the beautiful singing of the words, ‘and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed’ backed up by an incredible orchestral arrangement, but more importantly, they have also been exposed to the incredible truth that it proclaims. (for a very beautiful version of that song type in - And the glory of the lord shall be revealed - Gramophone Chorus - on youtube)
But are they simply nice-sounding words? An unbelieving world might say, “Dan, all you are doing is ascribing to God attributes that are bigger than you.” Perhaps, but how can the finite, postulate the infinite? Many philosophers and mystical religions have tried down through the ages.
To be fair, trying to stand at sea level, and grasp the height of Mount Everest, at 29,032 feet isn’t the easiest thing to comprehend. But that is mere child’s play compared to trying to conceive of the distance from earth to the Pleiades star cluster at 444.2 light years. And yet that too is dwarfed when we attempt to bridge a gap of far greater distance, in our attempt to understand the infinite God of all time, space, and eternity.
Join me each weekend in the coming weeks, as I explore how Isaiah 40 reveals the Glory of God, as we dig deeper into the magnificent truths proclaimed by the ancient prophet.
Dear brother or sister in Christ, or friend in life’s journey, as we face a new week of opportunities and challenges, let us seek God’s help, guidance and wisdom to navigate not only our own needs, but also those of our families, friends, communities, and nation.
Even in the midst of the ongoing pandemic, and too many difficulties to list here, I hope you can also smile with me recognizing the truth that not only does God exist, which both reality and the Biblical text confirm, but also because as Isaiah 40:5 states, “the glory of the Lord will be revealed.