From Abraham and Moses to Christ and the Church, God reveals His glory and calls believers to reflect it.

Weekly Devotional

To God Be the Glory

August 4, 2026 · Anne Barkley

Scripture focus: Exodus 33:18 · John 1:14 · John 17:22–24 · 2 Corinthians 3:18 · Ephesians 3:21

God, Show Us Your Glory

There has been a four month pause in From the Throne as God took me on a personal journey with Him which began at the close of the latest Bible study at the end of March 2026 on the Epistles of John entitled “From Slavery to Freedom.”  That study revealed how our nation and we as individuals have been enslaved by the god of this world and how the GOD OF LOVE will set us free!  (This study is available on the website.) The number four has biblical significance in God’s plan of the ages as it connects earth with heaven.  The fourth clause in the Lord’s Prayer makes it clear: “Thy kingdom come—Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mt. 6:10) In Genesis 1: 14-19 we read about God’s material creation on the fourth day.  From the call of Abraham until the Exodus from Egypt was 430 years and it was to that people that God first revealed His Glory.  The four gospels present the earth-life of our Lord who is Immanuel—God with us. (Isaiah 7:14, Mt. 1: 23) Jesus glorified the Father during His ministry according to John 17 and His prayer was for those who believe and trust in Him to receive and reflect His glory.  It is all about God’s Glory—the invisible qualities, character or attributes of God displayed in a visible or knowable way!  God is calling us to reflect on His Glory.  God, show us Your Glory—What He has done, What He is doing, What He is going to do!

What God Has Done to Reveal His Glory in the Old Testament

In Genesis 12 we have the manifestation of the Glory of God to Abraham saying, “Get going out from your land, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. My heart’s desire is to make you into a great nation, to bless you, to make your name great so that you may be a blessing to the whole world.” (vv. 1-2) Then in verse 7 we read that God said, “I will give this land to your seed. So, there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.” The Abrahamic Covenant reveals the sovereign purpose of God to fulfill through Abraham His program for Israel, and to provide in Christ the Savior for all who believe. It is an unconditional Covenant confirmed by the LORD in Genesis 15: 18 whose ultimate fulfillment is made to rest upon the Divine promise and the power of God rather than upon human faithfulness and is yet to be completely fulfilled in the Millennium Kingdom. Note the title LORD in these passages that according to my research and study reveal that this designation in the Old Testament is the pre-incarnate Christ.

As mentioned earlier, it was 430 years from the initiation of this Covenant until God called Moses to deliver them as a nation from bondage and slavery in Egypt. In Exodus 3 we have the details of that call as the Glory of God appeared in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush that was not consumed. God spoke to him out of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses, and he said, ‘I am here.” God identified Himself to Moses as “I AM THAT I AM, the LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob…this is My name forever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.” It was the announcement of a present God, who has come to fulfill His covenant and keep His promise. It was through miracles, signs and wonders that the hand of the LORD brought them out from Egypt, from the house of bondage. (Ex. 13: 14) It was the Glory of the LORD that went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night a pillar of fire, to give them light; and was constantly with them. (vv. 21-22) In Exodus 14 we have the account of the parting of the Red Sea as the Angel of God went before them in the cloud to guide them safely across but used the presence of the LORD in the pillar of fire of the cloud to bring fear upon the Egyptians and they were overthrown in the midst of the sea. It was the Glory of the LORD that saved Israel and they saw the great work done upon the Egyptians, feared the LORD and believed the LORD and his servant Moses. (14: 30-31)

We read in Exodus 24 about Moses ascending upon Mt. Sinai with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel. They saw the God of Israel and there was under His feet like a paved work of a sapphire stone and they ate and drank. (vv. 9-11) In verses 15-18 we read that God then called Moses and Aaron up into the Mount of God and a cloud covered it and the Glory of the Lord was upon the mount and the cloud covered it six days and the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. The sight of the Glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount and Moses went into the midst of the cloud for forty days and nights and God gave him the blueprints of the Tabernacle. We have another account of Moses in Exodus 33: 18 as he seeks a new vision from God. He asked Him, “Show me thy glory.” God’s answer was that no one could see His face and live and hid him in the cleft of a rock while His Glory passed by and allowed him to see His back. We have established that it has always been God’s plan to bring His presence to earth. In Exodus 40: 34 we read that when Moses finished the work of building the Tabernacle that “the Glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle.” In Leviticus 9:23 we read that God blessed the people “and the Glory of the LORD appeared upon all the people.” These scriptures among others in the Old Testament confirm that it has always been God’s desire to bless His people with His presence.

What God Has Done to Reveal His Glory in the New Testament

We referred earlier to the promise of Isaiah of Immanuel—God with us. These are the words of the LORD Himself: “Behold, the virgin will conceive. When she is giving birth to a son, she will call his name Immanuel.” The fulfillment of this prophecy is found in Matthew 1: 23: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and give birth to a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which means “God with us.”

The Gospel of John makes it clear, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His Glory, Glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The four Gospels present the earth-life of our Lord. We have the testimony of Jesus Himself throughout His ministry.

In John 17 the Son glorifies the Father. He said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, so the Son may glorify You…I glorified You on earth by finishing the work that You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world came to be.” Then, Jesus addresses believers in His prayer to the Father. “The glory that You have given to Me I have given to them, that they may be one just as We are one—I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them as You loved Me. Father, I also want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory—the glory You gave Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world did not know You, but I knew You; and these knew that You sent Me. I made Your Name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Hebrews 1:3 reminds believers, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

What God Desires to Do Now in Believers

Jesus was obedient to the Father even to death on the cross as our sacrifice. I Corinthians 6:20 reminds us: “For you were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.” How do we as believers fulfill that command? This focuses on our earthly walk and whether our life brings glory to the god of this world or to the glory of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18 points us to the answer: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” In Romans 8, the Holy Spirit is mentioned about twenty times. When our mind is governed by the Spirit, He takes the verses of the Bible which we have been studying, and He makes them real to us. When we learn to set our minds on Christ and turn our thoughts to things above, the Holy Spirit manifests the life of Christ in and through us.

Jesus gave this promise to His followers in John 14: 12: “Amen, amen I tell you, he who puts his trust in Me, the works that I do he will do; and greater than these he will do, because I am going to the Father.” This brings us back to the question—WWJD today? Jesus gave us the authority and delegated power to do His works! The original Greek word translated “greater” in John 14: 12, could mean either greater in degree or greater in quantity. In other words, after demonstrations and instructions, Jesus was leaving to His followers, as well as to future Christians, the greatest of His works to finish through faith in Him. Verses 13-14 hold the key to this command: “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name I will do it.” In other words, what we ask for must be to serve and glorify God, not serve ourselves or our fleshly desires.

2 Corinthians 4:6 further affirms this truth: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” We are called at such a time as this to be salt and light in a world of darkness to reflect the glory of God to others. As believers, we have the glory of God—His Spirit within us. Time is fleeting–we are to live each day to the glory of God—to use our gifts of time, talents, and blessings for Him. The Lord of the Harvest is calling us to be laborers in this end-time harvest of souls before His return! “To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph. 3: 21) This Church Age of Grace has continued 2,000 years and we are blessed to be here!

What God Is Going to Do

God’s eternal plan of the ages is rapidly unfolding, and He is in total control. We are seeing God rearranging things for our benefit and His glory. He is calling us to new levels of authority and confidence and about to shower us with blessings in this season to make up for all that the enemy has done to us. This is the season of God’s grace and restoration, and this is the year of His reward of grace, love, favor, wisdom, and miracles. God has not forgotten His Church and is purifying and completing it for the soon return of the Bridegroom! “Therefore, be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.” (Mt. 24: 42)

> “Beloved one, the time is indeed growing shorter for My beloved few to speak encouraging words to the mass of humanity. Most of them are in a starvation mode for the truths of heaven. Be alert; be secure in My presence in your being for you can truly do nothing of eternal value without My indwelling Spirit. Keep close to Me. Do not let earthly happenings drown or drive out My directions.”

— Betty Jo Hardy

Live Each Day to the Glory of God

May we maintain our faith by daily dwelling in God’s Word, surrendering to the leading of His Spirit and praying. “Every work of God serves to display His glory and set off the greatness of His majesty.” (John Gill) “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” (Mt. 6: 13)

Scripture references: Genesis 1:14–19 · Genesis 12:1–7 · Genesis 15:18 · Exodus 3 · Exodus 13:14, 21–22 · Exodus 14:30–31 · Exodus 24:9–18 · Exodus 33:18–23 · Exodus 40:34 · Leviticus 9:23 · Isaiah 7:14 · Matthew 1:23 · Matthew 6:10, 13 · Matthew 24:42 · John 1:14 · John 14:12–14 · John 17 · Romans 8 · 1 Corinthians 6:20 · 2 Corinthians 3:18 · 2 Corinthians 4:6 · Ephesians 3:21 · Hebrews 1:3

The best is yet to come!

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