Glory, Glory

Bible Readings... John 17
Highlighted Verse... John 17:5 - Father! Give me glory in your presence now, the same glory I had with you before the world was made.
Thoughts... This alternate wording from the Good News Bible got me to thinking about what Glory really is. Jesus is asking God to glorify him... to manifest God's presence in him... simply put, Jesus longs to return to his Father. Even though he and the Father are one, it's just not the same as being there. After he humbled himself by leaving God's presence and becoming man, after spending 30 years in the presence of sin and evil, as opposed to the pure, pristine presence of God... he now faces the toughest challenge ever known to man... and he has complete foreknowledge of how bad it is going to get. Small wonder that he longs for the glorious presence of his Father.
How it impressed me...  Jesus, who is the Word, can look back to Psalm 34:8 where the psalmist proclaims "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." He remembers the taste of being in the glorious presence of the Father. He garners strength for and refuge from the trial ahead by looking forward to his reunification with the Father in glory. The really cool part comes 17 verses later when Jesus prays to the Father about the apostles "I have given them the glory that you gave me." Jesus wants us to share in this same glory. He knows how much we would love it if only we would taste it. We can have the same glory he longed for, but not by asking for it, or seeking it, but by being one with Jesus through complete obedience and abandonment to him.
My response to God... Glorious Father God, your majesty amazes me, your sacrifice humbles me, your glory beckons me to abandon my self and follow after you with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. I so want to follow you; help me.