I’m going to try to walk you through what the Lord showed me. I had been asking Him about His glory. I didn’t feel like I understood what it was. Everyone in His holy temple cries glory (Ps. 29:9) and His glory filled the temple. The two “glories” seemed like two different things.

When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house.

2 Chronicles 7:1-2 NKJV

I didn’t see how those two glories fit together.

I’m not sure how long that had been on my mind, at least for several weeks. It had been a while. The Lord gave me this as a birthday present. He led me to Exodus 33. Moses asks to see God’s glory. What does God show him? What does God make pass before Moses?

And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.”

Exodus 33:18-19 NKJV

His goodness! Moses asks to see His glory and he was shown God’s goodness.

This was very special to me because if there’s one thing the Lord has shown me, it’s His goodness. I like to say all my teaching can be summed up by saying: God is good. Sin is bad. I went through a long trial of trying to accept God’s unchanging love for me, which led into a trial of struggling to see God’s goodness. I went months where it seemed like all I could see in the Bible was the murder of women and children. I knew that wasn’t right, that wasn’t God. I just had to hold on until I got through and I could see it. And I did hold on. And I did get through. Now I live basking in the glow of My father’s love and goodness. I can’t not see God’s goodness everywhere. He helps me see it in any Scripture.

He has shown me His goodness, so He has shown me His glory.

Several days later, I came back to this and asked about how this definition of glory, God’s goodness, fit with the display of God’s glory filling the temple so that the priests couldn’t even enter.

By the time I was getting to the end of my question, I was crying because of the answer He just dropped into me. And I started praying that I (the temple) would be filled with His goodness so that nothing else could enter, that my mind would be filled with His goodness so that nothing else could enter, that my heart would be filled with His goodness so that nothing else could enter.

Read the response of God’s children when they see His glory. This is the next verse from what’s above.

When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

2 Chronicles 7:3 ESV

When they see His glory, they praise His goodness and His love.