When it appears that the glory has departed our land, our city or our location, there is a location where the glory never departs.

Verses

1 Samuel 4:21 She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel.”
Jeremiah 17:12 A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.

Observations

In the days during which the prophet Samuel was training, the Israelites engaged in a battle with their neighbours. They lost the first battle, so they resolved to collect the ark from Shiloh and take it into the next battle. In doing so, they were treating the ark of God just like one of the idols of the surrounding nations. They lost the ark. Eli’s two sons were lost in the battle. Eli heard the news and died. His daughter-in-law, newly widowed, in her distress, went into labour in her pregnancy. Before she died, she named the son, “Ichabod” saying “The glory has departed from Israel.” We are often looking for glory in our location. Sometimes we are seeking it for social validation. Sometimes we are seeking it for the victory we believe we need. However, when we approach the glory of God with hearts still craving miracles more than His presence, we may well find that the glory has departed from the land.

However, even if it is true that the glory has departed our land, our city, or our location, there is a location where the glory never departs. There is a place where we are always welcome. The glory is always present at the throne of grace. The glory is always present at the mercy seat. The glory is always present at the throne of the lamb. The glory is always present at the mountain we are to ascend. Habakkuk prophesied that one day, the earth would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God. As the members of the body of Christ, in the midst of a world that is absent of glory, we have the capacity and the obligation to set our hearts on an ascended pilgrimage to the throne of grace. It is there that we will encounter the glory of the Lamb, the Son of the Most High. The light of his face shining upon us may then be brought with us as we walk in our physical location.

Prayer

Lord, wash my hands and create in me a clean heart, that I may ascend the hill, the mountain of your throne, which is a sanctuary to me. May the light of your glory both fill me and radiate from me, this day.