Devotional Thoughts Based on the Glory to God Hymnal

Isaiah 12:4-5

 And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted.  Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth.

As a choral student in high school I had the privilege of singing in the North Carolina All State Festival Chorus for four years.  There were two conductors each year for choruses of 500 singers.  The conductors selected the music.  I particularly enjoyed Dr. Lara Hoggard who directed our choir in the singing of Schubert’s Mass in G.  With 500 singers we made quite a sound.  I had never sung a mass and I had sung only a few short pieces in Latin.  Almost 50 years later I can still hum/sing portions of that Mass.  There were a thousand singers at that event.

As I was writing this devotion, I wondered what the largest number is that we find in the Bible.  I discovered it was “a thousand thousand” (II Chronicles 14:9).  That is a hard number to grasp, but thinking of all those who have ever sung praises to God and adding those who currently praise God and those who in all the years to come will sing, that number may be woefully inaccurate!

We sing O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing and I think back to that time when my voice was one of a thousand.  Can you imagine the number that will fill the realms of heaven praising our Redeemer? The next time you sing this great hymn, remember that more tongues than a thousand are praising our God.  When all the voices of time are singing… praising our Lord Jesus Christ, just think what a glorious sound that will be.

Prayer

O Lord, it is thrilling to be a singer in a great choir.  We can only imagine what the celestial choir will be with cherubim and seraphim joining their voices with ours in praising our Redeemer.  Thank You, Lord, for giving us voices so that all of us may make a joyful noise to our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.  Amen.