Since we have such a hope, we are very bold. – 2 Corinthians 3:12
Would you describe yourself as bold? Paul says hope in God’s glory made him bold. What is God’s glory? It is His manifest presence. Pastor and author John Piper defines glory as “the manifest beauty of His holiness. It is the going-public of His holiness. It is the way He puts His holiness on display for people to apprehend. So, the glory of God is the holiness of God made manifest.”
So why was Paul hoping in God’s glory? He said that if the glory of God came in such a way that the Israelites couldn’t even look at Moses’ face, how much more shall believers receive glory from grace in Jesus Christ. He said that the Israelites still have a veil on their face but, in Christ, the veil is removed. He continues, “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” (2 Corinthians 3: 18).
When you pray you are coming before a glorious God and being changed to be more like Him. Some day you will see this manifest glory in Heaven, but His glory is also shown in nature. “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20). The expression of His character is seen in His creation, including people, especially when they express the gifts God has put in them. Be bold and confident that God hears and answers your prayers as you intercede for the United States and those in authority.
Today’s Verse: 2 Corinthians 3:12
Since we have such a hope, we are very bold,
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Isaiah 6:1-6, 1 Kings 8:10-11, Revelation 21:22-23, 1 Kings 19:11-13
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
