Man's Glory vs. God's Glory

"The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows forth His handiwork. Day to day they utter speech and night after night they show forth knowledge."- Ps. 19: 1-2

During the last quarter of 2007, I was preaching in an eastern state in the U. S one weekend. On that Saturday evening, I was invited to dinner in a home up in the mountains. I enjoyed a special meal with some godly believers that evening and true fellowship for 3 hours together. On the spiritual level, the time together was truly Christ-centered and truly edifying.

On the human level, there were two things that stood out. The meal together was simply outstanding in every way. You could not have purchased in an expensive restaurant a meal that could have exceeded it.

Secondly, the house itself had cost six million dollars to build. I had not been in one ever that could compare to it. Needless to say, it was quite amazing and somewhat out of my league. The beauty, the architecture, and the furnishings were as impressive as anything I had seen in any human building. I went away from the evening struck with feelings concerning what man can accomplish. The house had a glory all its own. But I also went away from the evening with my heart free and centered on Christ, His presence and His grace. And for that, I felt grateful.

Then on Sunday afternoon, after preaching, I drove out of those mountains, headed south for 3 hours to the airport. As I drove through amazing beauty with blazing sunshine, blue skies, and awe-inspiring scenery all around, it was as if God began to say to my heart, "Yesterday, you saw what man can do-- now I will remind you what I have done!"

The secenery was breath-taking; God's fingerprints and handiwork were everywhere; God was speaking and it was very loud! "You've seen man's glory this weekend- now see Mine!" So as I listened to hymns, sang to Him, prayed, and worshipped the Saviour, the reality and wonder of what God has done and can do bacame fresh again to my heart because I was seeing His glory in the earth that afternoon.

I boarded a flight for home around 5:00 pm that afternoon, flying west toward Dallas. Sitting by the window on the right side of the plane, about half way home, I began to notice the curvature of the earth in the west, with the sunset setting the entire horizon ablaze with deep red tones; I had not seen a sunset like it from the air in a long time; the entire western horizon was like it was all on fire; no sight or scene on earth could have compared to it.

My heart went up to the One who had created it all and was holding it all together right then by the very word of His power. Twenty hours earlier, I had seen man's glory; now as I sat looking out the plane's window, I was beholding the very glory of God from 37,000 feet, a display that words could never adequately express nor could the human mind take in.

But His big show wasn't over yet. As the evening darkness set in approximately an hour before arriving in Dallas, I look out my window and saw a bright light reflecting off the plane's wing. Looking up, I was seeing the brightest blazing white full moon that I could ever remember. It wasn't yellow or mild, but brillantly white. Perhaps it seemed brighter because I was almost 40,000 feet higher than normal. But its brightness and whiteness was almost surreal. It was more glorious than I had ever seen the moon.

As I sat there, the Father's presence filled my mind and heart, and was powerfully around me, clearly saying to me, "You saw yesterday what man can do-- today you have seen what I have done and continue to do! And I made it for Me and for you."

Suddenly, the house I had seen the day before honestly seemed like a few match sticks; it had faded from my view and I was no longer impressed; for I had seen the building skills and the handiwork of an eternal and heavenly Being who daily reveals a glory than man can never touch or comprehend!

I came away from the time with a new question in my heart-- Which affects and impresses me the most- what man can do or what God can do? What a contrast- man's glory vs. God's glory; when one really sees it, there is no comparison!

- Mack T.