....and, Lazarus the beggar was standing beside him in the glory.....Luke 16:23b (TPT)
I was reading the story in the book of Luke regarding Lazarus and the rich man. I'm not going to go into all the details, as you can read the story in the Bible for yourself. For those who are familiar with this story, you know that both Lazarus and the rich man eventually die. The part of this story where I'd like to pick up with is at the point when it states (speaking of the rich man), "In hell he looked up from his torment and saw Abraham in a distance, and Lazarus the beggar was standing beside him in the glory."
From reading the first paragraph, you probably think that this blog is going to be about life after death or heaven vs hell, or something along those lines. If those thoughts ran across your mind, you'd be completely wrong.
Like many of you, I've read this story a number of times in the Bible. However, the Bible is the very living Word of God. So no matter how many times we've read something, God can open the eyes of our heart to see something new. And this is what happen to me when I recently read this familiar story. I came to the words "standing beside him in the glory, " and I was stopped right in my tracks.
For the remainder of this blog, I'd like to state it this way, "Standing in the glory!" Yes, I understand that Lazarus is dead as he is standing beside Abraham in the glory. But, I'd like to suggest to you that right here on earth, we can "Stand in the glory!"
I'd like to provide some definitions for the word "glory" from Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary. Glory means God in self-manifestation, i.e., what He essentially is and does, as exhibited in whatever way He reveals Himself in these respects, particularly in the person of Christ, in whom essentially His "glory" has ever shone forth and ever will do. Glory was exhibited in the character and acts of Christ in the days of His flesh; at Cana both His grace and His power were manifested, and these constituted His "glory." Glory is a state of blessedness into which believers are to enter hereafter through being brought into the likeness of Christ. Glory is brightness or splendor, supernatural, emanating from God (as in the shekinah "glory," in the pillar of cloud and in the Holy of Holies).
The Lord Jesus Christ states this about glory, "I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one (John 17:22 NLT)." So when I see the words, "standing in the glory," I want to say, "Lord Jesus, I receive that glory that you gave me." And, I want to say to God, "Father, please let me stand in the glory." When I stand to share God's Word with women, my prayer is that, I'd stand in the glory. In other words, I want to sense God's Presence, his power, and his anointing to do what he has called me to do, all for his glory. And I'd also like to have times of "standing in the glory" when I'm just One on one with God. I want to sense his nearest, his closeness, and hear his heart beat. I want to "stand in the glory" whenever he desires to show up and show out!
"Standing in the glory" brought the picture to my mind of being inside an airplane with soft, fluffy clouds all around. Seat yourself inside the plane of his Presence right now, and ask the Father to let you, "stand in the glory!"
