New Morning Mercies #84

Only the gargantuan glory of God can rescue you from all the mini glories of creation that regularly seduce and kidnap your heart.

Imagine that I decided to take my family to Walt Disney World in about a year’s time. And imagine that I sat down at the computer with my children and showed them the multifaceted sight-and-sound glories of Disney. Imagine further that through the year, as the children lost sight of what was to come and complained about the sacrifices we were having to make, I took them back to the Disney Web site over and over again to remind them of the unparalleled entertainment glories that are only ever found there. Imagine now that we finally load ourselves in the car and begin the long trip to this glorious place. Imagine our children getting impatient and wondering how long it will be before we are actually at Disney. And imagine that after many long hours of travel, we are coursing our way down the highway in Florida and we see a sign that says, “Walt Disney World 120 miles.” Now, imagine that I park beside this sign, and we have our vacation there. You would think that I have lost my mind. Yet millions of people do that every day. Confused? Permit me to explain.

There is one thing that you know for sure—the sign is not the thing. The sign was created to point you to the thing. It cannot give you what the thing can deliver. The sign can only point you to where the thing can be found. The sign pointing to Walt Disney World will not ever give you what Walt Disney World can. So it is with the physical glories of creation.

Here’s what you need to understand: only two types of glory exist—sign glory and ultimate glory. Sign glory is all the wondrous display of sights, sounds, colors, textures, tastes, smells, and experiences of the physical world that God created. These glories were not designed to satisfy your heart. They were not made to give you contentment, peace, meaning, and purpose. They have no capacity to give you life. Earth will never be your savior. Rather, all of creation was designed to be one big sign that points you to the One of ultimate glory who alone has the power to give you life and to satisfy your heart. God alone is able to give you life. He alone is able to give rest to your searching heart. He designed his world to point to him, not to replace him (see Psalm 19).

Where will you look for life today? Will you live like the father having his vacation next to the sign along the highway or will you run to where the sign points? It really is true that your heart will only ever be satisfied when it finds its satisfaction in him.

For further study and encouragement: Joel 2:21–27