For me, the glory of God is always a redemptive, therapeutic, encouraging,notion - going out of myself into the goodness and righteousness of God ... not to lose myself, nor to placate a narcissistic divinity, but to find my bearings, to sense the rhythm of life, the flow of creation, and my place within it, and with all that is, knowing that I belong to God, and God is a constant presence for good.
And that, I think, leads to a concern for the wellbeing of the nations ... demanding of me an awareness of the times and challenges of the present age.
This world IS my home, at least for awhile, and while I'm here, I have to be engaged - with a knowledge of the news, local and global ... I have to know history if I'm going to pray intelligently. It's like some of the recital Psalms, detailing the "history" of Israel ... the flow of events that bring us to the moment.
I do not live in a spiritual bubble, though I often wish I did. To take my own creation seriously, and the creation of the world gratefully, this is where I live, and if I can, I will, let my light shine.
With a constant trust (lest I fall into despair) that the Spiritual Presence, the primal goodness of God, will prevail ... rarely with ease, as we see in the Cross, yet with victory, as we see in the resurrection ... and a deeply personal redemption, as we see with Jesus and Peter on the beach.
"For the glory of God and the wellbeing of the nations" ... is how I often end a prayer ... and a good way to begin the day!
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