TO GOD BE THE GLORY

 

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Let the earth hear His voice.

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Let the people rejoice.

O come to the Father thro Jesus the Son

And give Him the glory, great things He has done!

 

TO GOD BE THE GLORY by Fanny Crosby

 

This was one of the first hymns I fell in love with as a newly saved believer.  He rescued me from the pit...how could He not get all the glory?  Composers like Bach and Handel signed many of their works "S.D.G." (Soli Deo Gloria) to give "Glory to God alone" for their works.  Maybe I should start adding that to my pillows!  It is one of the basic beliefs of the Protestant Reformation that God alone is worthy of  honor...not we ourselves.

 

We so often turn this around.  You don't have to look very far (I don't have to look any further than myself!) to know people want fame, recognition, appreciation, gratitude and praise for things that God alone has done for us.  He has made us for Himself, given us gifts and opportunities and directed us in ways we could never have made up.

 

Timothy Keller in  THE REASON FOR GOD  talks about each person of the Trinity "dancing around each other" (perichoresis) in their delight of each other (John 16:14, 17:4-5).  Since we were made in Their image (Gen. 1:26) we were made to delight in Them.  That is our purpose...the reason we were created!  Keller says:

 

God made us to ever increasingly share in his own joy and

delight in the same way he has joy and delight within himself...

We glorify and enjoy him only as we worship him, serve the

human community and care for the created environment.

 

I had a conversation with a dear friend last week who is preparing to go into a heart-wrenching legal situation not of her choice.  She said: "I don't know what the purpose of this is, but all I can say is 'To God be the Glory'".  That is faith and that gives her the peace to go foward even though it's the last thing in the world she wants to do.  This friend is in a dance with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  She was joyful and content even in the midst of a terrible trial.  May it be said of all of us!  Who are you delighting in today?

 

For further study:  Exodus 15:11, Psalm 10:1, 65:12-13, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 24:15, 48:11, John 16:14, 17:1-5, 20-24, Romans 1:21-25, 16:27, 1 Cor. 10;31 and 2 Tim. 4:18.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly