“¹Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. ²Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. ³O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” – Psalm 5:1-3 (ESV)

As I read this passage, I was taken to my prayer prior to my beginning to study in the morning. I open my pray as Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:9-13. I start off by giving praise to Him and then thanking Him for the blessings He provides for me. As I refer to the passage above as it relates to the example of prayer Jesus gave, the two are in line, with one significant difference.

David, in the above, opens his prayer asking God to hear him. He seeks an audience with God. David is very intentional with his actions and that should serve as an example for me. I have to be intentional with my prayer. I have to get God’s attention. I have to be overt in my prayer to Him.

I want to be clear here that God is always paying attention to me. He knows my every move, action, thought, and word, even before I do. He does not need me to shout out to Him and draw his attention directly to me. This action to asking for God’s attention is for me. I have to let Him know so that I will be focused in my prayer to Him. I ask God to hear me so that I know to come to Him fully and not just with my words.

When I am in the corporate world, I have the opportunity to work with others that are busy with other items and when I ask for an audience or get called into meetings, I have to remain focused and intentional to be sure that I am getting out there what I intended to get out there. There is a time and a place for everything and a meeting about staffing is not the time to talk about IT issues that have popped up over the course of the last week. I have to be intentional and make sure that I am using my time to focus on the work at hand.

In my relationship with God I should be asking for an audience with Him and focusing my attention to Him. I must be intentional and not wander from topic to topic. I have a plan of what to discuss and what questions to ask. There may be a lot to discuss and hash out with God, and He wants to hear it all, but I should also use my time to fully engaged with Him.

I want to be careful here so as to not say that we should only be speaking to God when we have an appointment. That could not be further from what I am speaking. I want to indicate here that as we pray, similar to David, we should be getting our attention by asking God to hear us. Any and all times I speak with God, I should be getting His attention, for my benefit, not His, and in doing so, that will keep me on task at the time and guide me to remain in Him throughout.

Once I have my attention, I should be following the model of prayer that Jesus laid out for us:

“⁹Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread, ¹²and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” – Matthew 6:9-13 (ESV)

When you pray, are you asking for God to hear you? Are you praying without intention? What if you asked God to hear you, not for His benefit, but for yours to be intentional and keep focused?

“¹²Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: ‘I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. ¹³When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, ¹⁴if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. ¹⁵Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.’” – 2 Chronicles 7:12-15 (ESV)

I have studied these verses a number of times over the past 5 years. God again leads me here when I need it. I have studied, “seek”, “heal”, and “sin”, and now the word “pray” and that is certainly not missed out here.

The LORD speaks to Solomon and clearly lets him know that He is there. But for Him to remain, there are some things that must be met and kept. The people have to have a change of heart and “humble themselves” in his presence. They need to earnestly look for or “seek” Him out at every turn and avoid sin as they “turn from their wicked ways”. I see this as all part prayer. I have to be humble, and seek Him as I turn from wickedness so that I am able to commune with God. When I am able to do so, then He will be there with me. He will hear me and heal me and will remain with me as promised.

It is not a passive process. God wants to hear from me earnestly. That is done through my prayer and communion with Him. I am to break down and allow myself to be guided by God. That means that I have to take the actions stated by Him in these verses and when I do, God will remain with me, hearing, healing, and forgiving me.

What does your communication with God look like? Are you taking action? What if you were to be earnest in your prayer and seek Him out as you turn away from wickedness to be heard, healed and forgiven?

We all, I am sure, have experience those that have sinned against us and/or more importantly sinned against God (since sin is a certainty, I write with confidence). I know that I have and do each day. Yet, mine is not to judge them for their actions, only to pray for them and their repentance.

“²³Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.” – 1 Samuel 12:23 (ESV)

Samuel demonstrates here the actions we should be taking each day. Prayer for all in the interest of helping and not consciously sinning ourselves. Even though there are those that will and do sin against God, we are still responsible to guide them to what is right. When they choose to go against the LORD or even us, we should lift them up that they might be able to see for themselves the error in their actions and repent. We are not to disparage them, or talk down to them about their actions, but to lift them up in love and pray that God will work on their hearts to soften them to Him.

Out there it is too easy to give up on those that are lost. They may be lost today, but with our guidance and continued prayer for healing and repentance, they may be found. I can only pray for them and give them every chance to be found. I am to pray for all regardless of who they are or what they may have done.

What action have you witnessed that could use your prayer? Are you willing to pray for them, or are you writing them off? What if we simply prayed for all regardless and allowed God to work?

“⁵Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” – Isaiah 12:5-6 (ESV)

God is so good. He is there for us at all times. He does for us and He does so gloriously.

In this passage of Isaiah, the LORD is exalted as “My Strength and My Song”. I am to give thanks for His deeds done in my life. I am to exalt Him and His name. I am to “shout, and sing for joy” as noted in verse six. Below is the reason for our shouting and singing.

“⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’” – Isaiah 6:6-7 (ESV)

What a great thing to shout and sing aloud. God not only forgives, but He does so emphatically. There is something about the act described in verses six and seven just above. God wiped away the uncleanliness with one action. In grand fashion, all of the sins and guilt were taken away. And so it is and can be for us.

We are sinners and that is a fact. The only action we can take to find reprieve from that sin is to repent to our Father in heaven and He will forgive. But not only will He forgive us for our transgressions, He will do so emphatically and gloriously for us to “shout, and sing for joy”.

Where are you looking for forgiveness? Are you seeking it in world? What if you were to put your faith in God, repent and allow Him to forgive emphatically and gloriously?

Glorifying comes from God and not of ourselves.

“⁵³Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be? ⁵⁴Jesus answered, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, “He is our God.”’” – John 8:53-54 (ESV)

Jesus is being grilled by the Jews here. He is being questioned as to just who he is and who he “makes” himself out to be. And Jesus lets them know quickly that it is not He that raises Himself up, but God the Father. God is the one that has the authority to make us more than we are in this world.

Yes, positions in society are given and provided by those in society, but that is not what I am talking about when talking about being raised up and glorified. I am not talking about position in a company, but the position had in the Kingdom of God. God glorifies me and has given me position as heir with Jesus in heaven. I am a child of God and with that comes the glory as given from God the Father.

The glorification from God to me is not something that will raise us up in society. In fact, it is likely that our position is society will be more difficult as we are glorified by God. We are be persecuted for our faith. We are treated as contrary to the world. We are viewed as out of touch and living a “Pollyanna” existence. We are seen as resistant to the ways of the world and non conforming to changes in what is acceptable in society. I will say that I am okay with all of the treatment for that just confirms that everyone knows of where my allegiance lies. Now I am not saying that I enjoy the treatment, just that I accept it as a consequence of my faith.

I know that my glory here in this world is of no consequence to my eternal glory that is found in Christ. I am here in this world to do the work of God, for God, and with His help. I know that my purpose is to glorify the King and as I do, He, God, will glorify me.

Where is it that you are seeking glorification? Are you looking to be seen as great in this world? What if you were to seek to glorify God to be glorified by God?

The Glory of the Lord shines brighter than anything we have every experienced. Imagine being blinded for three days by light. That was Paul when he experience the Glory of the Lord as he was converted from Saul (see Acts 9:1-19). And we are given more evidence in Revelation in the passage I studied this morning.

“²³And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. ²⁴By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, ²⁵and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.” – Revelation 21:23-25 (ESV)

As I read this passage there are things that really stand out to me. First, “the city has no need of sun or moon”. This is no ordinary city, it is approximately 1.9 million square miles. Take into account that the largest state in the United States is approximately 663,300 square miles, that helps me to gain some context. And think about it, Alaska is all light for 3 months of the year and as you see in verse 25, “there will be no night there”, is the second thing. We cannot imagine the power of the Glory of the Lord shining down.

“The Glory of God gives it light” is the third thing I see in this passage. God’s Glory is what gives the light to the New Jerusalem and the strength of His Glory is enough to light the entire city forever. I have hope that here in this world I will experience just a fraction of His Glory as I walk and do His work. I know that I will get to experience all that John writes in Revelation upon my move from this world to my home in heaven, and for that I am eternally grateful to my Lord and Savior.

The Glory of the Lord shines brighter than we can imagine. To light the New Jerusalem, what a strength is displayed.

What was your vision of the Glory of the Lord? Did you see all the amazing strength and power that comes with His Glory? What if we did all just to find a fraction of the Glory of the Lord that shines so bright?

God is worthy of our worship. Not just today, but for ever and ever.

“⁸And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’ ⁹And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘¹¹Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.’” – Revelation 4:8-11 (ESV)

As I read this morning I see here in verse 8, 9, and 10 the evidence of God eternal. First in verse 8 there is the “never cease” to bring Him glory. And then in verse 9 we see that He “lives forever and ever”. And in verse 10 the worship of “him who lives forever and ever”. Three mentions in 3 concurrent verses.

The worship of the Glory of the LORD is not a “one and done” kind of thing. I have a responsibility to worship Him forever. His glory abounds forever and I have a duty to honor Him forever.

Now forever sounds like a long time and that in the context of the world is true. I however have to remember that through the salvation provided by Christ, I have forever in my eternal home in heaven. I may only be in this world for a short time, but I will be with Christ forever and as such shall be providing my worship to Him for all time. I have to remember to stop looking at things in terms of this world and remembering the eternal life I have with Him. Just as the “living creatures” and the “twenty-four elders” worship the Glory of the LORD for eternity, so I should as well.

What is the time you spend worshiping the Glory of the LORD? Are you looking at a finite amount of time in which to get it done? What if we were to approach worshiping the Glory of the LORD forever?

“²²Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ²³since you have been born again, not of a perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴for ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, ²⁵but the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” – 1 Peter 1:22-25 (ESV)

Peter puts it here that we are to grow fully here in this world and reach our potential as the flowering of the grass. We also must be aware that we, the grass and the flower will fade completely, but the glory of the LORD will last forever.

I am the grass and will grow to the extent that God will have me grow, even to the point of producing flowers. That growth and the flowers are at His will and glory. Once we have reached the time of completing our tasks here in this world, we will transition to eternity with Him.

The thing for me to remember is that even though I wither and fade, He remains. God’s glory is everlasting in this world. My time might have come, God still has work that is to be done and will remain until it is complete. God’s glory is forever whether in this world or in heaven. My part is only temporary and when it is up, God will continue on.

I have to continue doing the work of God even as I know that I will fade and fall away once my work is done. The thing is that I do not know when that time is to come. It may be today, tomorrow, next week, next year, or some other time, but it will come and I have only to ensure that I have been doing the work God has set for me to complete. Once complete, I know that God and His glory will remain as there may still be work to do and He is there for those that are performing that work.

What work are you completing for the Lord? Are you even aware that you will fade and fall? What if you just kept on doing the work God has for you and when you are complete, you will meet Him in glory?

This morning as I was reading and studying the word “glory” I was reminded that whatever is on this world for me to experience, it is only really for a little while. And, after that little while, glory will be thrust upon.

“⁵Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. ⁶It has been testified somewhere, ‘What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? ⁷You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, ⁸putting everything in subjection under his feet.’ Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.” – Hebrews 2:5-8 (ESV)

Jesus, who was sent to this world, was a little lower than the angels, and that was by design. Now be careful here, Jesus was not less than the angels, only on the outside did he appear lower. His majesty was decreased to fit here in this world. We were not ready to see or interact with Christ in His glorious form and even now are not ready. But we will be.

The writer of Hebrews makes the case that man was made in image of God and during the time in this world, would be a little lower than the angels. In this world I am to fit. I have glory coming to me, but for now I must live in this world, getting my hands dirty in the work God has given me. In that work I will outwardly be a little lower than the angels, but inside and upon rising to join Christ in heaven, I will be restored to the glory God has for me. I will elevated to equal with the angels and no longer be viewed as lower.

This world is only temporary and my time here is but a little while. I must continue doing the work here in this world and know that I will join Christ in heaven when this time is over. It may feel like “forever” that I am here, at the moment 50 years, but that time is short compared to eternity that I will spend in glory with Christ. I am living the life God has for me as a little lower than angels for now and will have glory forever in just a little while as heir in heaven.

What position do you find yourself in now? Are you aware that you are really “lower than the angels”? What if we look out for the glory we will have later with Christ?

“¹Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ²but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. ³He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” – Hebrews 1:1-4 (ESV)

I have to look somewhere to experience the Glory of God. I have to have a beacon to use as my example. I need someone to emulate in life. That is Jesus. He is as written here in Hebrews, “the radiance of the glory of God”. He was brought to this world as God in my form. He experienced what I experience. He lived as I live. And yet, He was still the Glory of God. He did all for me to the extent of dying for my sins, and I was 2000 years into the future.

Jesus is my example. He is the one to look to for guidance. He is the one to emulate. He is the Glory of God that I am looking for each day. I only need look to Him and be the example He provided for me to be. No, I will not live up to being as Jesus. I will not be perfect and commit no sin. I will not always do or say the right things. Thankfully, I do not have to. Jesus did and my job is to strive to be more like Him. I have to remember that He took care of my failures with His blood on the cross. Jesus is glory.

Where are you looking for glory? Are you seeking acceptance in the world and looking to it for your justification? What if you turned to Jesus for the example of glory?