But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the LORD with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah. (Psalm 3:3–4)

There are at least two senses in which this can be taken (discerning minds might see more). The first is that the Lord is glorious and “I” particularly glory in Him. Many people desire to glorify God, but for “me,” regardless of what others do, “I” as an individual am focused on glorifying Him personally. Indeed, there are times when we glorify God in a congregation. But other times we glorifying Him individually.

To glorify God is to make Him known and show how great He is, so that others also may glorify Him. The collective whole of God’s image bearers were made to reflect God, who created them and in whose image they were fashioned. This is accomplished as individuals reflect that image back to Him, so that He sees Himself in us. I cannot simply assume God receives glory from me because I am connected with a group of believers who give Him glory. It must begin with me; I must be able to say unreservedly that He is “my glory,” that is, He is the one I glorify.

The second sense in which we might say He is my glory is that as I reflect His glory, I become glorious with His glory. His glory, as it were, splashes luminescently over me, like a mirror fills with the glory of someone who is beautiful. The light in the reflection is virtually as bright as the actual light. In other words, I become glorious as I more clearly reflect His glory.

Could this be what Paul writes about? “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18). As the mirror needs buffing to bring out the reflective image, so also God buffs us with the trials of life, a kind of abrasive that smooths us out: “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison…” (2 Co 4:17). The weight of glory refers to a positive, substantive reflection of God in our lives. As the mirror shares in the substantive glory of the object which it reflects, so also we share in the glory of God. We can say, increasingly, He is “my glory.”

For the psalmist, in the midst of his difficulty, he calls out to God whom he believes will lift him out of his troubles. In this expression of faith, he glorifies God, and thus we note him for his steadfast faith – which reflects well on God. God is worthy of our trust. Truly, we can say the Lord is “my glory.”

Glorious Lord, I desire to live a buffed life so that I can reflect You well.