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“The goal isn’t the miracle. The goal is God’s glory.”

A thought by Mark Batterson (2014-09-02) from his book, The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible (p. 216). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)


That can be a problem to realize when we are going through an impossible situation and we are looking for a miracle but that is the real goal.  But that can be a very difficult prayer to pray.  I’m sure it was difficult for Jesus when He was facing the cross, and prayed to His Father, “Not my will but Your will be done.”

Marks says, “And if you forget that, it’s difficult to get through difficult circumstances. So let me offer this reminder: the will of God is the glory of God. That’s why cancer can’t keep you from doing the will of God. Nothing can. You can glorify God under any and every circumstance.”

We prayed that prayer when we found out my wife had thyroid cancer.  He took care of the cancer but she still lives with some of the complications of taking her thyroid out.  I marvel at how God gives her daily strength.

Mark in this section was dealing with a friend who had just found that he had cancer.  Such a difficult thing to hear.   Mark concluded this section by saying, “If you think of the will of God in temporal terms, it doesn’t add up. You’ve got to add eternity into the equation. And if my friend isn’t healed until he reaches the other side of the space-time continuum, it’ll be no less miraculous then than it would be now.”

This isn’t heaven yet.  There are a lot of good things that happen here but there are also so many tragedies.  We need to constantly be reminded that God created us for a purpose and that is to bring Him glory.  We will be rewarded for living up to that purpose but it may not be here.   

You might ask, “What does it mean to give Him glory?”   And I like what someone said, it means to make Him look good.  And sometimes going through the difficulties of life with the right attitude and the right outlook can make God look good.   

Remember, the goal isn’t the miracle.  The goal is His glory.  Let’s do all we can in all we do to make God look good.

So is He looking good though you?
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