To God be the Glory
History
This hymn is such a strong standard for many of us, it's hard to imagine that it almost passed into obscurity before it was ever made popular. In fact, it would have done exactly that, if not for the influence of two evangelists separated by 75 years.
The great hymn writer Fanny Crosby wrote this tune sometime in the early 1870s. While many hymns can boast moving testimonies that led to their writing, or a specific moment that inspired the words, this hymn's story grows more interesting in the years and decades after it was first published.
Fanny Crosby was a noted hymn writer, left blind by a childhood illness, she was a faithful follower of Jesus for the whole of her long life. Many of her songs, including this one, point to the faithfulness and provision of God, and worship as our right response to that provision. Though she was blind, she was able to pen words like, "Give Him the glory, great things He hath done."
Upon writing these inspiring words, Crosby's friend and frequent collaborator, William Howard Doane set it to music and published it in his own Songs of Devotion. A few years later, the great gospel singer and composer Ira Sankey included it in his own collection, Sacred Songs and Solos. Ira Sankey was a longtime friend of none other than Dwight L. Moody, and accompanied him for many of his revival campaigns throughout America and Britain. During one such campaign to London, Sankey introduced this hymn, and the crowds fell in love. The song would go on to be a staple throughout Britain for a great many years, though it would take 75 years for the song to take root in America.
In 1952, Billy Graham and Cliff Burrows were planning revivals throughout Great Britain. At some point, Burrows was handed a copy of this hymn, with the recommendation to use it in the revivals, as it was a staple for many. Burrows included it in a set, and upon hearing the people passionately sing the joyous refrain, Billy Graham requested that they keep using it, and they ended up using the song at almost every event.
A few years later at Graham's next revival in America, Burrows used the song once more, where American audiences adopted it with excitement. From that moment on, To God Be the Glory would become one of the staple hymns for the Billy Graham crusades.
Devotion
One of my favorite parts of this classic hymn is the clear gospel call, and the clear right response. You see it in the refrain: "Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, and give Him the glory, great things He hath done." Crosby compels us to approach the Father and even tells us how we can do exactly that: through Jesus the Son.
Of course, when paired with the last verse, the message is clear: Jesus purchased our salvation through His own blood, and because of that redeeming sacrifice, even the worst of us can receive pardon and approach the Father if we put our faith and hope and trust in the transforming grace of Jesus.
And then look at the response: "give Him the glory, great things He hath done." When moved by the power of the gospel, our response must be praise. When we feel the Spirit move deeply in our soul as we approach the throne of the Father's grace, our hearts explode with praise and worship to Him.
You can see the progression of this in 1 Peter 1, where Peter encourages a church ravaged by persecution and tribulation. His first step is to praise the Lord because of His great mercy—Peter then acknowledges that worship isn't always easy in the face of painful tribulation. In fact, he goes as far as to say faithfulness in spite of trials is more precious than gold. His prayer is that the genuine faith of those believers who pour themselves out in the midst of persecution would lead to even greater worship of Jesus in response to His saving grace.
The outcome of our faith is the salvation of our souls, and the outpouring of that salvation is worship of God. Reflect on the goodness of God's saving grace today, and may that compel you to worship Him in spirit and in truth—to God be the glory!
Related Scripture
Galatians 1:4-5; 1 Peter 1:3-9
To God be the Glory lyrics
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.
Refrain
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice;
Oh, come to the Father,
Through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory;
Great things He hath done.
Oh, 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.
