Musical Notes

Hello OCBC family,
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Galatians 1:3-5).

Today, I want to share the story behind a very popular hymn, “To God Be the Glory” whose author is Fanny Crosby. She was born on Putnam County, NY, 1820 and died on Bridgeport, CT, 1915. You know that Fanny Crosby has a talent for writing poems that became hymns, and you know that she was blind from childhood. When she was a little girl, she had some problems in her eyes, and a “doctor” tried to help her, just making her completely blind for the rest of her life.

She went to a school for blind people, and after her graduation, she became a teacher of the same institution.

She was very proud of her reformed heritage, and you can see through the words of her hymns about her security of salvation in Jesus Christ.

This hymn is different from other gospel hymns, because its focus is not on the personal experience of the believer, but the attention is on God’s glory and God’s work of redemption. Read the first stanza,

“To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
so loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
and opened the life-gate that all may go in.”

God so loved the world that he gave us his Son to make atonement for sin. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).

Second stanza says,
“O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
to ev'ry believer the promise of God;
the vilest offender who truly believes,
that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.”

All who believe in Christ will receive pardon. “To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:43).

And the third stanza declares,
“Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
but purer, and higher, and greater will be
our wonder, our victory, when Jesus we see.”

We will rejoice now and through all eternity because of the "great things he has done.” “The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.” (Psalm 126:3).

What a wonderful thought, just to have the assurance that our salvation depends on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Please, use this hymn as a part of your quiet time, read it, sing it, pray it, and give to God the whole 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 through Jesus the Son,
and give Him the glory, great things He hath done.”
​
In His service,
Israel