The Story:Wow! What must that have been like! Peter was with James and John when Jesus was transfigured and His face and raiment glowed with the glory of God. He was so stunned and frightenedat the time that he didn’t know what to do. All he could think was, “Wow! We gotta stay here!”

But it was not to be. God allowed Peter to see the glory of His Son for reasons known only to Him, but Peter remembered the incident vividly and, as seems apparent, with some sense of abiding wonder and awe. Jesus had come to bear witness to the Father and His promises, and, because He was faithful, God glorified Him, above all, in His death and resurrection. And God bore witness to Jesus by commending His life and words to all who would be pleasing to the Father. Jesus is the center of the Christian faith, and Peter is His witness – as are we.

The Structure:Peter’s encounter with the glory of Jesus Christ was different from that which we may know, but we must not be negligent in seeking the Lord, simply because we can’t “see” Him the way Peter did. There is glory to behold in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4.6). By coming to Him in His Word, and resting in His Spirit to teach us (1 Cor. 2.12, 13), the hope of glory in which we stand (Rom. 5.1, 2) can become the experience of glory that we know and, what’s more, that we can show to others as well (2 Cor. 3.12-18; 1 Cor. 10.31).

Do you find that you often encounter the Lord speaking to you from His glory as you wait on Him in His Word?

Each week’s studies in our Scriptorium column are available in a free PDF form, suitable for personal or group use. For this week’s study, “The Word More Sure: 2 Peter 1.12-21,” simply click here.

T. M. Moore

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.