Have A Good Opinion Of God

He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.

Romans 4:20, KJV

How was Abraham strong in faith? If you look at the verse, it says that he gave glory to God. The word “glory” means “to have a good opinion of.” So while he was waiting on God for his miracle, Abraham simply had a good opinion of God. He believed that God was a faithful God who would bless him as He had promised to.

My friends, every time you consider God, see Him having a smiling face. See Him as someone who loves you perfectly and wants to be good to you. Have a good opinion of Him.

If you read or hear a negative report, have a good opinion of God and say, “God, because I am Your beloved child in Christ, You’ll never let this happen to me. A thousand may fall at my side, and ten thousand at my right hand, but it will never come near me” (Psalm 91:7). Believe and speak positively about God. Believe and speak positively of yourself. The Bible tells us in so many ways to not dwell on the negative because truly, thoughts DO become things.

The people of the world generally have a bad opinion of God. They see Him as an old, angry judge who’s all about punishing people. Beloved, you are in the world but not of the world (John 17:11, 14, 16). So don’t think and talk like the people of the world. God is your heavenly Father who loves you and wants to bless you. So judge Him good and faithful. He deserves all the glory and is delighted when you have a good opinion about Him and trust in His goodness toward you!

Another aspect of glory we should consider & ponder upon is Shekhinah Glory. This phrase isn’t actually used in the Hebrew or Christian Bible’s; however, the word Shekhinah is. What does it mean exactly?

 I attended a church in Kentucky years ago where this word was often used and although it wasn’t explained to me at the time, I knew it was something special. It came up again today and has been swirling around in the ether’s a little while now. I discovered that the word is the feminine attributes of God, which caused me to smile 🙂 The traditional religions would have us believe that women are really of little consequence & yet none of us would exist if the divine feminine were not involved. I think the imbalance of yin/yang…male/female…is what is seriously wrong with this world, but I digress.  In researching the word Shekhinah, I found that it is decidedly a feminine word in the Hebrew entomology and means the dwelling or settling, and denotes the dwelling or settling of the divine presence of God, especially in the Temple in Jerusalem. The form is conveyed in a hand sign by the gesture of blessing or benediction, with the palms facing downward and the thumbs of the outspread hands touching. The four fingers on each hand are sometimes split into two sets of two fingers each, thus forming the letter Shin (שׁ), an emblem for Shaddai (God). Sometimes the hands are arranged to form an overlapping lattice of ‘windows’, referring to a ceremony sometimes called Nesiat Kapayim, the “lifting of the hands”, in which Jewish tradition states the Divine Presence would shine through the fingers of the priests as they blessed the people, who close their eyes as the light could be blinding.

This recurrent theme is best known from the writings and songs of the legendary mystic of the 16th century, Rabbi Isaac Luria. Here is a quotation from the beginning of his famous Shabbat hymn:

“I sing in hymns to enter the gates of the Field of holy apples.

“A new table we prepare for Her, a lovely candelabrum sheds its light upon us.

“Between right and left the Bride approaches, in holy jewels and festive garments…”

A paragraph in the Zohar starts: “One must prepare a comfortable seat with several cushions and embroidered covers, from all that is found in the house, like one who prepares a canopy for a bride. For the Shabbat is a queen and a bride. This is why the masters of the Mishna used to go out on the eve of Shabbat to receive her on the road, and used to say: ‘Come, O bride, come, O bride!’ And one must sing and rejoice at the table in her honor … one must receive the Lady with many lighted candles, many enjoyments, beautiful clothes, and a house embellished with many fine appointments …”

The tradition of the Shekhinah as the Shabbat Bride, the Shabbat Kallah, continues to this day.

The concept of Shekhinah is also associated with Holy Spirit in Jewish tradition, such as in Yiddish song: Vel ich, sh’chine tsu dir kummen “Will I, Shekhinah, to you come”

Didn’t Jesus Himself that He would not leave us comfortless when He had to leave the earth? He said He would send us the Comforter. I don’t know about everyone, but in most families, it is the Mother who is the Comforter. It is at our mother’s breast that we receive solace for our wounds. She hugs and pulls us in close to her. I feel the Holy Spirit, Shekhinah, do the very same to me. And I am comforted.

Even Islam and the mystical arm of that faith, Sufism, gives Her recognition. I am happy to see a reawakening of the Divine Feminine. The Catholic Church has had it right all along; glorify Mother Mary. She is a very special woman and full of Divinity. Blessed be the name of the Goddess.

Related articles

• Names of God (john663blog.wordpress.com)
• Shekhinah Glory

Opening the Door to Miracles

by Karen Berg

There is a kabbalistic story about a righteous person who had many students. One day, one of the students came to this teacher and said, “I don’t think I can be here anymore.  I have so many questions, so many things that I don’t understand.  I simply can’t follow this path any longer. I want to give up.”

Calmly and simply, the kabbalist responded, “Did these questions come to you before or after you decided this wasn’t your path?”

The student thought for a moment and said, “You know…yes, you’re right. I got the questions after I decided. What about it?”

“Well,” the kabbalist replied, “it seems you don’t have questions. You have answers.”

Oftentimes, when we look at other people—our friends, our spouse, our siblings, even our acquaintances—we don’t have questions; we have answers.  Armed with our preconceptions and judgments, we close the door of our heart to others instead of leaving it open for them to walk through.

Many times, we don’t step back so we can appreciate those around us.  Perhaps their values are different than ours. Perhaps they have a different lifestyle than we do. Nevertheless, it is our job to accept them—just as they are—as part of our life.  Why?  Because the moment we decide to judge how another person lives, then we put ourselves in the role of the Creator. And we are not the Creator.  No one is.

The Bible says that Moses asked to see the face of God, and God said, “You cannot see My face. But I will show you My back.”  What does this mean? Essentially, the Creator was reminding Moses that as humans, we do not see the whole picture; we see only what the Creator chooses to reveal to us.

It’s true.  When we look at another person, we don’t know how many lifetimes he has lived or what he has done.  We don’t know why he was put in the vessel where he now exists, nor do we know what his tomorrow will be.  We see only the limited view of this moment, this snapshot in time, so we cannot judge. There are lifetimes of experiences and information invisible to us as well as a future of possibilities that we can’t anticipate.

As we head into the coming holidays, we need to remember that if we want to connect to the full energy available, then we need to be prepared to come with questions rather than answers.  We need to prepare ourselves to be open to the likelihood of a new experience and to see ourselves as minute in the world of the Light.  Why? Because in reality, the only way that you and I and all of us can become somebody is when we come to understand that we are nobody.  In the world of the Light, whatever our position, our honor, or our possessions, everything can change in two seconds.  That is why it is so important that we all bear the mark of appreciation.

As human beings, we generally see the cup as half empty: We look at people and immediately judge them for their faults. Most of us don’t automatically turn to another human being and say, “Wow, how wonderful you are!” We usually start by finding faults, those places that seem dark to us.

This week, however, we can make a different choice.  We can go forward with appreciation for everything and everyone in our lives, and with this energy, we can open up the door of miracles.