The Glory of God Revealed...

"What is God’s Glory?
God’s glory is manifestation (however suttle or pronounced)
of God’s own goodness - His manifest presence.
Anything done to His Glory is done in such a way
that suggests or reveals Himself alone."

By Beth Moore

Meet my nephew Matt...

"My youth group and I went to West Virginia on a missions trip.
Here is my story about how God showed me His glory.

The youth group pranked our youth leader the night before, and were ready to do it again. It was about 10:00pm and we had already had dinner, finished our debrief, and were just starting “free time.” Some guys and I headed across the street to the "Hill Billy" - a small convenient store. We each got a XLL Monster (an energy drink) and some airheads (a type of candy). We would need the energy for later. When it became “lights-out,” we got in bed all energized and waited for the time. We were so energized that we couldn't stop talking. About fifteen minutes later, our youth leader knocked on our door and told us that there would be no more pranks that night, because we needed the sleep. We were all bummed out.

There was one problem: we already drank the energy drinks!! Within an hour everyone had fallen a sleep except those who had the energy drink. Since we couldn't go to sleep, we decided to all get on one bed, and read the bible and pray. We did this for about two hours and started really feeling God’s presence! I remember the guy I had visited that day. His name was Wayne. I felt God calling me to visit him again the next day but I still wasn't sure it was God. I needed to make sure I was doing what God wanted and not what I wanted. I prayed and asked "God, if you want me to go to Wayne's house tomorrow, make someone cough right now.” A split second later, two people coughed! I knew it was God! But, I still just wasn't sure. I remembered the passage in the Bible where Gideon tested God by laying out the cloth in the grass. I was about to do something similar so I shared with the other guys what God had already showed me. We started praying together and asked that a train would go by (because we were within ten feet of a train track) so that we would be totally sure it was God who had spoken to me. God has his own timing for things, so it took a while. We were getting tired of praying, and I started to think that maybe those coughs were just a coincidence. Suddenly we heard a horn! A train was coming! I got down off the bunk and walked over to the window and looked out. Sure enough, the train I had prayed for was going by. The train was really long and had hundreds of cars. Thankfully there was a light outside so I could see the train going by. A few minutes later the train was still going by so I prayed to God and asked Him to show me His glory! I remembered that my Aunt had done the same and that God had showed her His glory! Suddenly a certain train car went by. It was like the other train cars, except for one thing... MY NAME WAS SPRAY PAINTED ACROSS IT!!!! ("Matt")

Instantly, I felt God (and as some of my friends recall, I was shaking!) and any doubts I ever had about God were tossed out! I knew he wanted me to go to Wayne's house! I thanked God for showing me His glory and for speaking to me! I was so excited. The next day I went to Wayne's house - with a different type of energy: God's energy! I wasn't able to lead Wayne to God that week, but I was able to bring the subject of God up. In February, when we go again, I'm going to go see him again!"

- Matt Helm