Pump the Brakes

We have started studying Ephesians in the small group that I have been blessed to be a part of this summer. It's been such a great experience to learn more about Father with the ladies who are serving in ministry this summer just like myself. I have loved getting to hear their stories, we all come from such different places and backgrounds, yet we all have one thing in common. Each one of us is here this summer, and there are things that are challenging us, they are stretching us, they are making us ask questions, they are making us learn, and ultimately all of our situations are making us cling even harder to Father. I am so thankful for the ladies that decided to start this small group for us this summer. I am so blessed to be surrounded by the team that I am surrounded by. This was all just a side note, but I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude to Father and all of the ladies involved for creating such a wonderful sense of community here.

So we have been studying Ephesians, a book I have read before. Just in the first chapter that we have gone through, I have found so much to chew on. In particular, there was one phrase that was repeated several times throughout the first chapter. I can't tell you how many times I have probably read this verse of scripture because I literally can't remember but I know I've at least read it once if not multiple times. Never before have I had the realization I had the other night with such magnitude and power. It was like Father literally flipped the switch in my mind and I went from being oblivious to completely aware. If you've been near me at any point during the last year, you might know that the song I have become obsessed with is one that Bethel sings. It's called I Will Exalt. I love that song with a fiery passion. I think the message within the song is so powerful. The lyrics are simple and they go like this.

                                         Your presence is all I need, it's all I want, and all I seek
                                                And without it, without it there's no meaning
                                 Your presence is the air I breathe, the song I sing, and the love I need
                                                     And without it, without it I'm not living 


                                                   I will exalt You Lord, I will exalt You Lord
                                                            There is no one like You God
                                                   I will exalt You Lord, I will exalt You Lord
                                                            No other name be lifted high 

                                          There will be no one like You, and no one beside You 
                                                        You alone are worthy of all praise


I love this song. I love the message behind it, simply that without God-there is nothing, no point, no meaning, no life. I was reminded of this, and really re-shown this lesson, as I was reading in Ephesians the other night. Twice in that chapter alone, Paul says this phrase "so that we would bring praise to God's glory." Now we were supposed to read this chapter in four different versions to see if anything impacted us between the changes in wording so I have the three other versions too. 


                                       "so that we would bring praise to God's glory"-NCV
                                              "might be for the praise of His glory"- NIV
                                              "might bring praise to His glory"-HCSB
                                             "might be to the praise of His glory"-ESV


It's all the same and as I read it hit me. All of my life I had prayed, Lord let all I do bring You glory. I had heard that our purpose in life was to glorify God. As one of the other interns says, pump the brakes. Paul says here that we were chosen in order to bring PRAISE to God's glory. God does not need us in order to be glorified. His glory comes from the fulfillment of scripture, His keeping of His word, His righteousness. His glory comes from Him. If you think about it, it makes complete sense. If you look in scripture, you see how it's evidenced. Father commonly uses the smallest armies to win the largest battles. He often does things that no human could even fathom accomplishing. He used Moses to free the entire nation of Israel from the Egyptians. He used David, a small shepherd boy, to bring down a giant. Think about the wall of Jericho. Joshua and his army did not do anything. They didn't life a finger, but God brought that wall down. How many times in scripture did God defeat an army before anyone even got there or with an army that is significantly smaller. Or how often does Father do something crazy, like parting the Red Sea or sending food from the sky. Father doesn't need us to glorify Him, He can do that all on His own. But He works in our lives so that His glory can be made manifest and we can share with others what He is doing. We are to bring praise to His glory. I get so excited now every time I find a new reference in scripture that says we are to bring praise to His glory, or allow His glory to manifest in us, and not bring Him glory. So here's a link to that song I was talking about.