The galleys, theater of His glory

Friday August 6, 2021

The galleys, theater of His glory

Searching the Scriptures

May, in the same way, your light shine before men so that they see your beautiful way of acting and so that they celebrate the glory of your Heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16

Some may remember that famous tirade from a play by Molière "What the hell was he going to do in this mess ?" The word "galley" is now an integral part of our vocabulary and refers to a difficult situation.

Indeed, the galleys of Louis XIV were not pleasure boats for all those slaves or convicts who, with the strength of their arms, made them move forward by rowing. These convicts, cruelly mistreated, chained, branded with a hot iron like animals, ate and slept on their bench in an indescribable stench.

However, the historian Michelet said "Oh ! Noble society than that of the galleys. It seemed that all virtue had taken refuge there. Dark, elsewhere, there God was visible. It is there that the whole earth should have been brought." Nearly 1,550 Huguenots - peasants, nobles, children and the elderly included - were condemned there for "because of religion", not wanting to deny their "Protestant" convictions.

A chaplain priest confessed : "They were never heard to utter a word of impatience or insult. The Lord was their comfort." Does not the Bible say in Psalm 109.26-28 : "Let them (my enemies) know that it is your hand, that it is you, Lord, who intervened !" This place of infamy had become "the theater of the glory of God."

What about our "galleys" ? How do we react when we are bombarded on all sides by hardships - incurable disease, financial problems, divorce, delinquency of our teens, etc. ? Do our attitude and our words (our "light" or "witness") in the face of adversity make God "visible" to those around us ? Is our life a "theater" where we can see the glory of God manifested ?

Listen to the voice of God

Let's take the time to listen to what God means. In what way do you allow the glory of God to be manifested in your trials ?

Praying is easy. Talk to God as you would your closest friend. God loves you and he can hear everything. Here is an example of a prayer : "Lord, I pray that my life will glorify you when everything is going well, but also when everything is bad."

Praise God

To praise God is to show him our gratitude. Today, what are your subjects of recognition ? Take a moment to thank the Lord.

Act today

Now dig deeper into what you have received. What can you do to apply what God has told you ? Write down the concrete actions you can take.

Honor the Lord

Our route for the day comes to an end. Let us pray together to honor our God.

"Thank you Lord for this thought which encourages me to persevere despite the hardships I am going through. Yours be the kingdom, the power and the glory, amen !"

Catherine Gotte Avdjian

Source (The Thought of the Day)