God's Glory in Creation
I continued to have a sense of the glory of God while worshiping Him with others in our congregation.
He reminded me that we often think of His greatness because of His love—even though we have sinned, He yet loves us. This reveals the glory of Yahweh.
However, He wanted us to look at the other side of this truth: His creation is so good that there is something left in us even through all of that sin that enables us to repent and come back to Him.
As He created the world, following each day He looked at what He had made and saw that it was "good." At the end, He saw that it all was "very good."
We are part of that creation! We are good, and He wants us to know that. No matter how much wrong we've done, both to ourselves and others, that good is left in us.
This is His glory, that His creation is good enough to be redeemed, to want to be redeemed, even after the effects of sin have taken hold.
Look at the story of the prodigal son. He began in glory in his father's house, but left to end up in a pigpen. Yet through all of that, there remained in him the ability to look up and come to himself, choosing to repent and return to his former position (Luke 15:11-24).
If Jesus told us that not even one sparrow falls to the ground apart from God's will, and that we are of far greater worth than many sparrows (Luke 12:6-7)... how can we not rejoice at the glory of God?
We are worthy of His redemption, because His creation is good! This is the glory of Yahweh!
31God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. Genesis 1:31
6“Aren’t five sparrows sold for two assaria coins? Not one of them is forgotten by God. 7But the very hairs of your head are all counted. Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:6-7
28Ascribe to Yahweh, you relatives of the peoples, ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength! 29Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due to his name. Bring an offering, and come before him. Worship Yahweh in holy array. 1 Chronicles 16:28-29
31Let Yahweh’s glory endure forever. Let Yahweh rejoice in his works. Psalms 104:31
8“I am Yahweh. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to engraved images. Isaiah 42:8
Discerning Yahweh
In every aspect of reality, there is some proof of the greatness and goodness of Yahweh.
Not only is His love beyond our understanding, that even while we rejected Him He chose to die for us (Romans 5:8), but so is His creative power.
What He makes is so good that it is worth redeeming no matter how far it has fallen from its original glory (Ezekiel 37:1-6).
How often can we say the same of our human inventions? We are quick to dispose of something that doesn't work as we expect or disappoints us in some way.
But Yahweh's creation—us human beings—are so inherently good that He goes to great extremes to return their damaged forms to their former glory, and beyond!
This is the love, goodness and glory of Yahweh!