Glory

Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. (Psalm 115.1)

The first building project mentioned in the Bible didn't finish very well. Human beings set out to create something that would 'make their name', an ambitious project for their own glory and renown. But instead of constructing a great city with a tower reaching to the heavens, they were left in confusion and disarray, their building project abandoned uncompleted as a testament to their pride. (The story of the tower of Babel is found in Genesis 11.)

Throughout the Bible we learn that when human beings try to grab glory for themselves, they inevitably end up in a mess. The only One who can properly 'handle' glory - indeed, the only One to whom glory can rightly be given, is the Lord himself. That's often a hard message for us to understand - that God loves his glory and is motivated by what would bring glory to himself. But a right understanding of that biblical truth enables us to pray in line with the heart of God.

The pastor and preacher John Piper puts it like this: 'God loves his glory. He loves it with infinite energy and passion and commitment. And the Spirit of God is ablaze with this love. That is why children of God love the glory of God; they are led by this blazing Spirit (Romans 8.14).'

I think that is why so often the Lord leads his people beyond their own resources when he calls them to follow him or do something in his name. If what we do as his people, his church, could be accomplished simply by our own cleverness, our own hard work, our own resources, we would be highly tempted to take the glory for ourselves - something that would do us great harm. When we are stretched beyond our own limits to a point where we have to rely utterly upon the Lord, where it is abundantly clear that 'success' can only come through his mercy and grace, may not feel a good place to be at the time, but it leads to something far better in the long run - an experience of God's amazing faithfulness and all the glory going to him - for his name's sake.

Please pray that the Open Church Project would indeed bring great glory to God. Pray for the team who have often been working very hard over the past few years - and have certainly felt stretched beyond their limits at times. And give thanks for what the Lord has already provided.