A Glimpse of Glory Through A Peanut Butter Jar

Deepa David   |   August 19, 2015 

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Recently I have been reading through the book of Ezekiel and the Gospel of John during my morning devotions. The one thing that seemed to stand out from both these books was the glory of God. Different portions in Ezekiel spoke about the glory of God departing from the temple. The glory of God that departed during that period (the Babylonian exile) was later only seen in and during the time of Jesus.

The Gospel of John spoke about the glory of God being revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. So what is this glory? Is it just a flash of blinding light accompanied by peals of thunder? Is it His power? Is it His majesty? Is it His ability to perform miracles? Maybe...but this topic got me thinking.

John Piper in his sermon titled 'To Him be Glory Forevermore' tries to define the phrase ‘glory of God’ like this:

"The glory of God is the manifestation of his holiness…The holiness of God is his concealed glory. The glory of God is his revealed holiness. The glory of God is the infinite beauty and greatness of his manifold perfections."

As I kept mulling over this quote, I kept asking myself the question, "So what does his glory actually mean to me today?" I had read about Jesus healing the blind man. The miracle he performed at the wedding at Canna. Jesus raising Lazarus back from the dead. He had waited two days and then gone to Bethany by which time Lazarus was already dead.  Then he called him out and raised him from the dead. Yes all this was to reveal his glory but how was I going to get a glimpse of that glory?

God decided to get my attention through a very simple illustration. A few days back I needed to order peanut butter. So I called our regular grocery store and filled out an order for some stuff that I needed at home, specially mentioning over and over that I needed peanut butter. The guy who took my call said that he had it and would send it.

So when the order arrived I looked expectantly for the peanut butter and the delivery guy told me that they had run out of stock. I was disappointed to say the least and was quickly thinking of other tiffin options for Sanjana at 9:30 in the night.

My brother who was visiting us from Chennai arrived at 10 PM that night, and said that my parents had sent us a suitcase full of gifts and snacks for the kids. I was so excited about the gifts from home that I forgot about the peanut butter and lunch options for Sanjana. But you see God hadn't. Because when I opened that suitcase, the first thing that I laid hands on was a huge 1 lb jar of PB Fitt peanut butter powder. I could make as much peanut butter as I wanted to fill as many lunch orders that Sanjana wanted!

And for a moment there I caught a glimpse of His glory! An unmet need, the timing delayed yet God coming through at the right time that I might catch a glimpse of His glory! That I might see I could not accomplish it on my own. That I might see his "greatness and his manifold perfections."

Maybe you feel insignificant sometimes, overwhelmed by the mundane things of life. Needs at work, or home, with house-help, children, maybe even concerns about distant family members…God’s glory is experienced not just in the miraculous but in the mundane as well. He knows you and what aches within. He is mindful of your immediate needs as much as he is sovereign over the whole creation. Sometimes all it takes to experience a glimpse of his glory is through, perhaps, a jar of peanut butter.

 

Photo Credit: Edward Conde via Flickr

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Deepa David

Deepa David skillfully juggles her various roles as a wife and mother of three kids. Her biggest role is to support her husband in ministry, bringing stability into a demanding ministry environment. She has a heart for underprivileged women and has served with commercial sex workers and women in situations of exploitation and abuse. She is also theologically trained with an MA in Christianity from SAIACS. She is joyful all the time and never tires of hosting people in her home.
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5 comments on “A Glimpse of Glory Through A Peanut Butter Jar”

  1. Awesome akka. What a comparison. I opened this article to see for some good recipe of yours. But what i read here was more than what I need. Thanks for upholding us. Keep rocking.

    1. Haha Josh I could still give you a recipe or two if you need it ????. But I'm glad you got more than what you expected.

  2. This was an amazing article I needed at the right time... Thank you so much for sharing this akka... 🙂 🙂

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