Finding Joy and Purpose in the Glorious God

Psalm 115:1:  ”‘Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory…”

The Library of Parliament in Canada is the only part of the building that survived the great fire of 1916 – and that dates back to the Victorian Era. The library is a very striking room—a great open rotunda with galleries spanning the circumference.  Rising in the centre of the library, in the place of absolute pre-eminence, is a towering statue of Queen Victoria.  The point is that the Queen is at the centre of everything in Victorian Canada.  The institution of government – the Dominion itself – is grounded in her rule and exists at her good pleasure. The symbolism is powerful and inescapable.  There is a sense in which the world – and indeed the universe – is a great gallery built around the King of glory Himself.  The great jewel of the glory of God shines at the center, and everything is centred on Him – designed to reflect His majesty and splendor.  As Psalm 19 states, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands….”  It’s all for Him—all for His glory.  This is a wonderful truth.  But what precisely does this mean?  And how does it impact our lives?

There are very beautiful things to be found in this world—things that have a certain glory about them.  A sparkling diamond, well cut and shown in the right light, can be breathtaking.  But there is no such thing as a truly flawless diamond.  Diamonds are graded, in part, on their clarity (their lack of imperfection).  A totally flawless diamond (perfectly clear, brilliant, and unmarred) does not exist.  But God is flawless in His perfections—in His beauty, holiness, goodness, power, wisdom and knowledge.  He is truly glorious in every way.  The Old Testament reveals God as entirely glorious – but as unapproachable.  In his vision, Isaiah sees a powerful manifestation of the Lord’s glorious presence – and immediately he cries, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory…Woe is me! I am undone” (Isaiah 6).  The glorious Lord is so holy and majestic, and Isaiah was so tainted and defiled by sin, that Isaiah feared this exposure to the Lord would destroy him.  It is akin to approaching the inner chamber of a nuclear reactor:  the sheer radiance of energy is more than any one of us could safely absorb in our natural state.

The New Testament picks up this theme of the glory of God, but it shows us that, in the coming of Jesus, something both radical and wonderful has taken place.  John 1:14 states, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”   Moses longed to see the glory of God – but God told him he couldn’t do so and live. Isaiah saw something of the Lord in his glory in a vision – but feared he would be destroyed.  But now, in Jesus, we have seen the glory of God. As He became human, the glorious God came to us in a way that we could see him and know him without being consumed by the sheer radiance of his holiness.  The miracles of Jesus revealed His glory and gave a window into his beauty and power.  But the revelation of Christ’s glory crescendos at the cross.  In speaking of His impending death, Jesus said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23).  How could Christ’s death be the pinnacle of God’s glory?  What does this reveal about God Himself?  He is the God of mercy and compassion, of grace and justice, of love untold, of grace unfathomable.  At the cross, God’s glorious attributes shine brightest against the dark rebellion of His creatures.  As 1 Corinthians 1 explains, the ugliness, agony, and shame of the cross are actually the power and wisdom of God on full display.

So what does the glory of God mean for us today?  First, the truth of God’s glory teaches us that the universe is not all about us, despite what we tend to think. This is a humbling truth, but it is also wholesome because once we grasp this, it leads to true joy.  The Westminster Shorter Catechism explains that “The chief end of man is to enjoy God and to glorify him forever”.  Here’s a key take-away:  glorifying God and finding joy in God go hand-in-hand.  Ultimately, it is only as we worship the One who is truly glorious that we find lasting joy.  God Himself is the great jewel – the being of supreme worth – at the heart of the universe.  Once He becomes our prize, our hearts soar with joy!  When we prize anyone above God, or when we glory in our own accomplishments, we set up false idols that fail to satisfy.  Saint Augustine once wrote, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.”  Today, delight yourself in God’s glorious perfections, and you will find joy and rest for your souls. 

Second, we can find our real purpose in the wonderful truth that God is supremely glorious.  Humans are naturally hungry for glory.  Alexander the Great was made king at age 20.  He was a “glory hunter” who sought to increase his empire through war.  By the age of 30, he had created one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen.  Legend has it that when he had conquered much of the known world, he looked out at his great realm and wept because there was not another world for him to conquer.  In reality, humans are made to glorify God alone.  Isaiah 43:7 states, “Everyone who is called by my name, who is formed for my glory…” (italics added).  Put simply, humans are made to reflect God’s glory and to enjoy His glory.  1 Corinthians 10:31 states, “So, whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.”  Perhaps you have been out hunting for glory here, there and everywhere—seeking satisfaction, fullness, and meaning in the things of this world.  The reality is that nothing in this world can truly satisfy because the glories of this world are fading.  But God’s glory is perfect and eternal.  Today, come to Jesus to find your true meaning and purpose.  As you re-orient your life around Him, the sheer radiance of His glory will shine into your heart and transform your life.  As Harry D. Loes writes in his classic hymn, “All that I want is in Jesus; He satisfies, joy He supplies; Life would be worthless without Him, All things in Jesus I find.”