“’The time is coming to gather all the nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory… And they shall declare my glory among the nations. And all flesh shall come to worship before me,’ declares the Lord” (Isaiah 66:18-19, 23).

Regardless of one’s personal beliefs regarding the sequence of events that describe the “end times,” one thing is quite certain. According to the prophet Isaiah, there will come a day when all nations will be gathered; all nations will see and declare God’s glory; and all flesh will worship before the Lord. In total, those statements tell us that on a day of his choosing God will fulfill his purposes in demonstrating his glory before all creation. As I meditated on this passage, the thought struck me; we don’t we take enough time to consider the implications of what that means for us as we navigate our way through life.

Here’s what I mean by that. Life gets busy for each of us, no doubt. At times we feel so pressed by the immediate and daily responsibilities we bear that looking ahead, let alone looking way ahead to ponder the day when Isaiah’s words will be fulfilled is the last thing on our mind. Yet thinking deeply about Isaiah’s words has implications for how we structure our lives today and every day.

I believe Isaiah’s prophesy contains three key words that make what he said applicable to us. The words “see,” “declare” and “worship” have implications for us in this way. First, we have an opportunity to “see” God’s glory every day as we identify, ponder and acknowledge his work in our lives and all around us. Whether manifested in the beauty of creation, the cry of a newborn baby, an answer to prayer or an unexpected blessing, we have God’s glory all around us. The issue isn’t whether it’s there but rather whether we see it as we should.

Second, we have the privilege of “declaring” his glory. This can happen in the privacy of our home or in a more public context as we tell others of what God means to us and has done for us. My guess is that if we took the time to examine our daily conversations, we would easily identify numerous missed opportunities to “declare” his glory.

Finally, according to Isaiah, all flesh will come to “worship” before the Lord. Why wait till then? We can learn to have a worship-filled attitude throughout the day. Worship is simply telling God how worthy he is. We come together as a church to worship each Sunday, but why not worship throughout the week as you go through your normal activities? It’s not at all a difficult thing to learn.

Yes indeed, a day is coming when “all nations will see and declare his glory and all flesh will come to worship him.” Why wait? Start today!