God will glorify
Sandee seldom clicks ‘the like button’ on my newsletter posts. So I was very interested to know why she clicked it, on yesterday’s post. “What did you like about the post?” I asked curiously. “I found the idea of resurrection after trials interesting” - “Do you think you can orchestrate a resurrection or it can only happen in God’s time?” “I think we have to wait on God”, I replied. “I suppose you are right.”
Reflecting on our conversation I remembered that ‘Patience’ is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It’s not simply waiting, but waiting with trust, hope, and inner peace—especially when we don’t see immediate results. So often, in the face of setbacks, we rush to fix things, to find shortcuts to redemption or success.
But resurrection isn’t something we engineer; it’s something we receive. It comes after surrender, after the letting go. Sandee’s quiet insight reminded me that while we walk through our own Good Fridays, God is already at work, preparing an Easter beyond our imagining. Our part is to remain faithful, to pray and wait with open hearts, and to trust that in His time—not ours—new life will come.
In this week’s Gospel we read John 13: 31-35 ‘God will in turn glorify him in himself.’ God is the one who glorifies. Our role is to endure our trails and tribulations in patience. We are not the source of our own glory—God is. Just as Jesus submitted Himself fully to the Father’s will, trusting even through suffering and betrayal, we too are called to surrender our need for control and recognition.
In the hidden moments of struggle, in the quiet acts of faithfulness, God is at work. His glory often unfolds not in dramatic displays, but in the quiet transformation of our hearts. When we respond with love, humility, and trust, we make space for God’s grace to shine through us, even in our weakness.
This is so countercultural to the modern world, where the prevailing belief is that we are the architects of our own success—that through hard work, strategy, and self-promotion, we can achieve whatever we set our minds to. While there is value in diligence and initiative, the Gospel invites us to a different truth: that true glory comes not from our own doing, but from surrender to God’s will.
God’s will for our life is glory. But this glory is not through self-engineering, but through remaining faithful to God’s Plan for our lives. This calls for discernment - contemplation and action.
In a culture that rewards speed, visibility, and personal achievement, the idea of patiently enduring trials and waiting on God’s timing can seem weak or passive. Yet it is precisely in this humble dependence that we discover a deeper strength—the strength of grace working within us, shaping us not for worldly success, but for glory.