This week’s lesson at Perspectives was really challenging for me, but at the same time I was comforted by the things I learned. To quote the study guide, “God’s mission purpose throughout the story of the Bible can be seen in the double direction of God’s glory: God reveals His glory to all the nations in order to receive glory from all nations.”
I’ve found myself wrestling with the implications of this lesson this week. First of all, it’s just human nature to overemphasize my own role in God’s plans, but the truth is that, while God loves me in ways I can’t even describe, His plans are ultimately about His own glory, not about my happiness. My perspective changes when I realize that all of creation, and every word of the Bible, isn’t about me; it’s about Him. God is working out a plan in my life and in the history of the world that will glorify Himself and make His name known across the nations. Sometimes this is hard to swallow, particularly in times of suffering.
It’s easy to doubt God’s goodness when we don’t understand why He has allowed pain and tragedy in our lives. Sometimes the pain just doesn’t make sense when we look at it from our own perspective. But, as our speaker, Mark Palfreeman, said Monday night, “Our story only makes sense if it’s about God’s glory.” And I would add, that we can only appreciate God for who He really is when we remember that truth. If we are looking at pain from our own perspective, it may seem that God has failed, or that He has forgotten us, or that He is too weak to help. But when I remind myself, that everything that God allows in my life is for the purpose of His glory, I can remain confident in His power and His plan, even when I don’t understand His ways. That’s the encouraging side of this truth. Whatever happens, believers must trust that God’s plan to glorify Himself will be fulfilled, and we can join Him on His mission when we remember that this is His ultimate goal. Whatever your story is, the point is God’s glory. He desires that His name, His character, and His glory be known across the nations. Worship is the goal.
Scripture records this fact repeatedly, but we often miss it.
Exodus 9:16 “But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.”
Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Numbers 14:21 “But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD . . .”
Isaiah 43:25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake and I will not remember your sins.”
John 4:23 “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”
John 17:4,6 “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which you have given me to do . . . I manifested your name to the men you gave me out of the world.”
Every blessing and every trial we are given is for the purpose of glorifying God. He is seeking worshipers from every corner of the globe; worship is the response He desires from us.
So how does this relate to missions? This is probably one of the most helpful truths I learned this week. Our motivation for mission work of all types must be primarily the glory of God. There are many secondary goals, not least of which are the salvation of men and the pursuit of justice in the world, but we cannot forget that our primary goal is the worship and glory of God. This saves us from what the text calls the “false dichotomy” between evangelism and social action. They are both important, and, when we are seeking God’s glory first, they will both be accomplished. As 1 Peter 2:12 says, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles [unbelievers] honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” The purpose of our good deeds is to bring glory to God.
This lesson has greatly impacted my perspective of my own daily life. While I have a great desire to serve God in many different ways, His first desire for me is that I will be a worshiper. And I’m coming to believe that when my heart’s desire is to worship God, all of the other aspects of our faith, mission, social justice, evangelism, speaking truth, caring for the vulnerable and downtrodden, will fall into place.
Can we worship from dawn until dusk, in the mundane and the thrilling, between the pangs of childbirth and life’s final breaths? Can we spread the story of our amazing God across the globe with the purpose of raising praise to Him from every corner of creation, that people from every tribe, every tongue, and every nation will praise the Living God?
“I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.” Psalm 45:17
