For many weeks we have been fortifying the church in prayer at this particular location. Yesterday, which would be the Sunday before this prayer meeting, I felt a touch of glory during the service. If you are not familiar with this topic, let’s talk about glory for a minute.
The word “glory” in the Old Testament is the word kabod. It means “heavy”. The first time we see the glory of God talked about as “heavy” is in the Book of Exodus.
Exodus 16:7 (NKJV)
7And in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD; for He hears your complaints against the LORD. But what are we, that you complain against us?”
THE BACK STORY
The back story is that the children of Israel were slaves in Egypt. God brought them out though Moses and Aaron with a great show of power and miracles. Then God sent them into the wilderness where He gave them the law and commandments and planned to take them into the land that He had promised their forefathers. Of course, things got hard in the wilderness. The people started complaining against Moses and Aaron but it was actually complaints against the Lord. Then Moses announced that the glory of God was going to be seen by a miracle of meat and bread! The weightiness of His presence brought the quail and manna. This was the beginning of the glory coming to the people.
GLORY CAME WITH FIRE, THUNDER AND LIGHTNING
When the glory came, there was at times fire, thunder and lightning. Great fear would fall on the people.
Well, glory may look different in the context of the New Testament in Christ, but it is still glory. Fire has consumed sacrifices and caused a cloud to fill the air.
Exodus 24:16-17 (NKJV)
1 Now the glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17The sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.
GLORY MADE MOSES SHINE
Moses stood in the glory of God until his face was glowing when he came back from the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments!
GLORY MADE PRIEST FALL DOWN
There would be times that the glory would cause the priest to be unable to continue ministering.
1 Kings 8:10-11 (NKJV)
10And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.
DOES GLORY COME TODAY?
Yes, it does. It may look a little different. There isn’t thunder and lightning but there are some similarities. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit moving. This is wonderful glory.
Yesterday at church, I could sense very strong presence of the Holy Spirit where it was tangible. It felt like I was standing in water to my knees. This is the first time in this particular church that I have discerned that. But let’s don’t just believe my feelings when it comes to glory. Let’s look at a couple thing that Bible says in the New Testament about it.
LAW COULDN’T BRING LIFE AND IT WAS STILL GLORIOUS
2 Corinthians 3:7-8 (NKJV)
7But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?
THE MINISTRY OF THE SPIRIT IS MORE GLORIOUS!
The glory of God will manifest itself through the Holy Spirit’s power. There will be healing, baptisms of power, and salvations. The glory can also affect our ability to stand to minister. When the presence of Jesus is strong by the Holy Spirit, it can be like plugging a 110 into a 220. You can fall down onto the floor under it. It doesn’t hurt you but you will feel the “heavy” presence of God as you lay there.
Revelation 1:17 (NKJV)
17And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
I am sure it was scary, but this falling down was not out of fright. When you are as dead, you are under the “heavy” of the glory of God. I have seen this happen over and over in the midst of the strong presence of the glory of God.
THE GLORY CLOUD
I have a friend whose father was a pastor of a very large church in Brazil. My friend was the pianist for the church. The glory of God came into the building one Sunday. He was playing at the piano when he looked up and saw the cloud. As the cloud got lower into the building, the people began to fall as dead. He tried to keep his head below the cloud so he could play. As he got lower and lower still playing, the cloud finally touched him and he fell into the floor as dead. No one was dead. No one was hurt. They did however have a mighty experience with the God of the Bible that day…several thousand of them!
If you decide to pray with me on this video, we will pray through the aspects of glory and ask for more of it. Just put your name, your family’s names and your church name in the appropriate spots. God wants to reveal His glory by Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
I hope you will take the journey with me.
Blessings,
lisa
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© Copyright Lisa Swayze 2019
