Hearing His Voice #362

The glory of the LORD rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the LORD rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.

Isaiah 60:1-3

God speaks to His people about His glorious future for us. He sees the end of our stories and knows how good they are. When we’re in the middle of the story, with all its formidable obstacles and grim plot twists—you’ve probably noticed that all good stories have them, including yours—God encourages us with glimpses of the last page. He wants us to know that everything ends well.

When God gave the future exiles of Jerusalem a glorious picture of their return from captivity, He was also giving us a prophetic picture of His promises to us. We reflect the glory of God, not only one day in heaven, but now, while the world lies in darkness. All nations will come to our light, and mighty kings will see our radiance. How is this possible? God shines on us. He speaks to us. He identifies us as His sons and daughters. As we see Him, listen to Him, draw close to Him, and bathe in His love, His favor on us becomes clear. We take on His nature. We become noticeable.

Reflecting God’s glory is a by-product of hearing His voice. When we learn to hear Him well, we no longer blend in with the spiritual landscape. People start coming to us for counsel, listening to our God-given ideas, and recognizing our wisdom, which we happen to know really isn’t ours at all. Jesus is the desire of all nations, according to the prophets, though the nations hardly admit their desire goes by that name. Yet when people see God in us, many will be drawn to His light. And we will be able to express His words to them.

Glory? Light? Radiance? These hardly seem to describe me, Lord. Yet if this is Your description of me—now or in the future—I want to grow into it daily. Let me hear—and reflect—Your glory.