The Doxology: A Song of Praise
- Eva Marie Everson Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
- Published May 02, 2008
The majority of my early childhood church experience took place in the red brick, white steepled church located at the end of Main Street in my hometown. The First United Methodist Church and the folks therein—the preachers, the Sunday school teachers, my parents, adult parishioners, and many of my childhood friends—helped form some of my best memories. More than this, they helped me develop a style of worship that is, in part, Methodist in origin and, in part, an extension of time between God, His Word, and me.
The Doxology A part of the Methodist experience (and perhaps other denominations within our faith as well) is the singing of the Doxology. I remember sitting between my parents—my shoulders touching their forearms—glancing from side to side as ushers passed brass collection plates; depositing them on one aisle and picking them up again at the next. As the plate passed, the mound of green opened dollar bills and folded checks mounted. I would clutch my dime—a tenth of what I earned weekly in those days— in the palm of my hand, ready and proud to drop it in with the rest of the tithes and offerings.
When the last of the collection had been taken, the four ushers stood two-and-two in the back. For a brief second, and in an air of anticipation, the room was silent. Completely silent. We held our breaths in wait until…
…DAAAA!! The organist pressed her fingertips against the keys of her beloved Hammond. I looked to the pastor of our moderate congregation. He was robed in black and as his arms raised in cue for us to stand and sing, he would bellow, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow….”
The singing of the Doxology had begun.
Filled to Overflowing
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy…1 Peter 1:8
I recently came across this scripture. Not that I haven’t read it before, but this was one of those times when the words jumped out at me; the Holy Spirit demanded that I make a closer observation of what I was reading. I did a word search, breaking the verse down element by element.
Have you ever been told you would receive something only to find it unbelievable? Let’s say you checked all the appropriate boxes and filled in all the pertinent information for the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes. You didn’t order any magazines but you mailed in your name, address, and so forth. One morning you are sitting at the kitchen table reading your daily devotions and sipping on a cup of hot coffee or cocoa or tea. Suddenly the doorbell rings. You shuffle to the door, wondering who in their right might would come by at such an hour. The door opens and your mouth drops. A hand to the head to finger-comb the pillow hair into place and then you scream at the sight of strangers holding balloons and video cameras and an oversized check. “Oh, my!!!” You shout. “I can’t believe it! I’ve never won anything in my life!”
Well, so far you have won but you haven’t gotten anything. Weeks pass and you tell everyone you know about the big prize you’ll be getting. You are pretty excited, no doubt! Still, you don’t have any money in your pocket much less your bank account yet. But…you know its coming and you are jazzed.
Peter wrote to a group of people who, though they had never seen the Lord—as he had seen the Lord—they believed in Him, in what He would bring to them (salvation, see verse 9), and were filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.
The Greek word doxazo can be found twice within the few words of 1 Peter 1:8. Doxazo comes from the root word doxa. Doxa is translated “glory,” “glorious,” “honor,” and “praise.” When reading doxa within the New Testament scriptures we get a sense of something magnificent, majestic, and excellent. There is a supremacy and a need to render to the Lord that which belongs solely to Him: our praise, our honor, and our worship. In doing so, we glorify Him. By using the word doxazo the writer pens a manifestation and acknowledgement to God for what He has done.
We must stand and sing!
What has God done for you lately? Think outside the obvious and to the little things you might not have noticed. For example, when I woke up this morning the world was dark outside my window. I poured my coffee then came back to my office to read a while. My cup was empty so I went back to the kitchen for more. Glancing out the wide window over the sinks I noticed the sun’s light in its first peek over the horizon. The sky around it had turned an incredible shade of pink. A fuchsia, really. “Wow,” I said to no one. “Look at that.”
I leaned my forearms onto the counter and watched for a few minutes more, then whispered, “God, you are so good.”
Later today, I noted the more obvious reason to thank God: a much needed check I’d been waiting for came in the mail. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
So let’s go back and look at Peter’s words: Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are doxazo (filled) with an inexpressible and doxazo (glorious) joy.
Being so filled the heart overflows and, in praise, brings glory back to God.
But what if I—what if we—never bothered to give the praise and glory and honor to the one who deserves it? How would God—no, how would we—be effected?
The answer lies in the word ending 1 Peter 1:8. That word is: joy. Chara, it reads in Greek. Joy given, joy received.
What I find amazing about the word chara—joy—is its very definition. The Lord gives to us, whether spectacular sunrises or checks received in the nick of time. He gives us answers to our prayers, He “opens the floodgates of heaven and pours out so much blessing that [we] will not have room enough for it.” (Malachi 3:10) This is, for the recipient joy. And in expressing that joy—by offering our praise, our doxa—we are then returning the joy to Him. And then, Him back to us, until we are doxazo—filled—to overflowing…to the point of it being inexpressible.
And then, the whole earth is full of his glory.
And so the next time you sing…
In 1874 Thomas Ken wrote the song Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun. The last verse of this hymn contains the song many know as The Doxology.
And so, the next time you sing “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…praise Him all creatures here below…Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts…Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!”… think of all the reasons you have to honor Him, to praise Him, and to extol Him. To magnify His greatness. Think of all He has given to you and, filled to overflowing, return the joy.
