A psalm of David.
I
Give to the Lord, you sons of God,
give to the Lord glory and might;
Give to the Lord the glory due his name.
Bow down before the Lord’s holy splendor!
II
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is power;
the voice of the Lord is splendor.
The voice of the Lord cracks the cedars;
the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon,
Makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
and Sirion like a young bull.
The voice of the Lord strikes with fiery flame;
the voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the desert of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord makes the deer dance
and strips the forests bare.
All in his Temple say, “Glory!”
III
The Lord sits enthroned above the flood!
The Lord reigns as king forever!
May the Lord give might to his people;
may the Lord bless his people with peace!
Psalms 29:1-11
Today we begin with a suggestion that we give glory to God. I suppose that’s always a good way to start my day. But I sometimes wonder what that looks like or sounds like in my life.
Honestly, we say those words in a lot of prayers or psalms at mass. We sing words to that effect pretty regularly. But how does it manifest in our everyday lives?
How often, over the course of a regular day, do I really stop and think about “the Lord’s holy splendor!”? Just typing it feels a little strange. How does one actually “give glory?”
The more I think about it, maybe it is the divine version of a compliment. Let’s think about times in our lives when someone has really impressed us, so much that we felt compelled to tell them so.
For example, my husband often makes something for us to eat that is amazingly wonderful (have I mentioned that I’m married to a chef?), so I tell him how much I love it. Sometimes at school I read about students who achieved some kind of honor in co- or extra-curricular activities, so I make sure to congratulate them and maybe post it on the bulletin board in my room.
Have you ever received exceptional care from a nurse or doctor and taken the time to mention it? Have you ever had an exceptionally good waitress and thanked her for being so helpful? When is the last time you were proud of your kids or your spouse or your siblings or your parents? Did you tell them?
Well, this morning my alarm went off and I woke up. I began to breathe, and I flexed certain muscles which allowed me to get out of bed and start my day. The fact that all of those things work for me every morning is an absolute miracle. Does it occur to me to tell God how much I appreciate it? …not usually.
Whenever I am feeling stressed out or worried or overwhelmed, I know I will get home to find my husband there ready to listen. That always makes me feel better, and I often thank him for that. But how often do I thank God for putting him on this earth, much less in my life, for guiding me to this marriage, for leading me to the life I enjoy?
I think maybe that’s what it means to “give the Lord glory,” and I think we can all do a little more of that. We just need to acknowledge how fortunate we are in so many ways, and remember how it all came to be.
So, especially on this Valentine’s Day, I am just going to sit back and consider how lucky I am to have Paul in my life. I am going to contemplate how much different things would be if God hadn’t given him to me. In fact, I am going to allow myself to marvel at the fact that we are happier today than we could have ever predicted 30 years ago. I am going to spend the day telling God about all the amazing things I never expected when he blessed our marriage and sent us on this journey together. To God is all the glory!