I'm currently reading through Exodus, and being reminded what my pastor said a few weeks ago in regards to the second book of the Pentateuch: "The purpose for which God does EVERYTHING is so the world may know about His glory & know that He is Lord." Exodus isn't just stories about heroes, but about a God who faithfully pursues sinful people + provides a substitution for us!
As I watch the news, all I've heard about today is our local weather condition. The worst winter storm in over 50 years. The state of Missouri has declared a "state of emergency." This storm is literally being call a 'blizzard.' The main interstate highway connecting Kansas City to St. Louis is closed. Some areas are receiving close to 24" of snow, with layers of ice beneath...and Kansas City isn't even the worst! While it may seem that God has lost control in this chaos, the purpose for which He sends devastating weather is so that the world may know about His glory & know that He is Lord!
Then I hear about the riots in Egypt. The estimated 1 million people that were to gather in the streets in protest of the unemployment/food famine today blows my mind! I can't even imagine the hopelessness these people are feeling...yet the purpose for which God is doing these things in Egypt is so that the world may know about His glory & know that He is Lord!
I read this today and found it quite appropriate with the current happenings in Egypt: "I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians...My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops...When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the LORD!" (Exodus 14:17-18).
This winter storm also reminds me of God's glory being displayed in the Great Flood. By destroying the earth by covering it with water, He displayed His glory, so that the world could see His glory & know that He is the Lord...even in their death. Weather we come to know, believe, and receive it here on earth or not, everyone will have the opportunity to truly see God's glory...unfortunately for some it will be too late.
The other week, my dear Texan friend, Rachel, called. God had brought a of hers to mind in a dream. This friend of hers has heard the Gospel, but has yet to receive it. We talked for close to an hour about the urgency to share Christ with our friends. Does God need us? His glory displays Himself already ("For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." Romans 1:20), yet He calls us His ambassadors, and still chooses to use broken people like us to display His glory to a broken world.
"The purpose for which God does EVERYTHING is so the world may know about His glory & know that He is Lord." Oh that I wouldn't just know this, but treasure it!
Whew. Still processing through all of this. And always will be. His glory is beyond understanding!
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