What changes the world is beholding the glory of God. In scripture, there are a few people who had really intimate revelations of God’s glory. I know that sounds mystical, but it’s not really. Sometimes, beholding God’s glory can be so natural. The Bible shows us this with both people who are actively seeking God and others who aren’t.
When Moses was walking in the desert, he wasn’t saying, “God, I want to see a sign from you!” A burning bush appears anyway, and he has this great revelation from God. Now Caleb and Joshua were seeking God, and they were the only ones to survive the entire desert wanderings and go into the Promised Land. Jesus sought out the apostles who were just going about their daily lives; many people came looking for Jesus because they’d heard rumors about God’s authority in him.
One of my favorite stories is the woman at the well. She absolutely was not seeking Jesus. The woman at the well was born into sin and living in sin, and her life was broken, but Jesus doesn’t say to her, “Well, if you could just keep the law, I’ll work in your life.” Instead, when you read that story, it’s as if Jesus was saying, “Do you see who I am? If you ask me, I will give you living water.” She has this revelation, unsought for, of God’s heart, and she becomes the first missionary in the New Testament.
What you see over and over in scripture is that when people have these intimate moments of seeing the glory of God, there’s a great work that the Lord does in them and through their lives. Moses took the children of Israel out of bondage. Joshua and Caleb took Israel into the Promise Land. The woman at the well brought her town to see Christ. The apostles took the gospel to the known world.
If you ever feel like “I just don’t have a great capacity; I’m too flawed”, one thing that is consistent in scripture is this: God uses a lot of broken people. Every one of us has our weaknesses, but we also have the giftings that God has given us. As we behold God’s glory, as we walk with the Lord, he will bring those gifts into their full use and change the world around us.