GLORIFYING GOD

And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

—Rev. 11:13

1866 Noah’s Day To A Pastor

Pastor Earl Cannon of Chicago’s Vernon Baptist Church expected 15,000 to march in his nondenominational “happy day” parade in honor of God, but he and 214 policemen assigned to the activity were the only ones who showed up, making him feel “like Noah.”

—Christianity Today

1867 Legend Of Origin Of Praise

There is an old Jewish legend which says that, after God had created the world, He called the angels to Him and asked them what they thought of it; and one of them said, “One thing is lacking: the sound of praise to the Creator.” So God created music, and it was heard in the whisper of the wind, and in the song of the birds; and to man also was given the gift of song. And all down the ages this gift of song has indeed proved a blessing to multitudes of souls.

—Maritime Baptist

1868 Civil War’s End

At the end of the Civil War, when the news of Appomattox came, the secretary of war, Edwin M. Stanton, caused to be displayed from the dome of the Capitol a transparency on which were inscribed these words from Psalm 118: “This is the Lord’s doing: it is marvelous in our eyes” (v. 23).

1869 Columbus’ Conviction

When on October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus took possession of one of the Bahama Islands, he believed he was fulfilling prophecy. It is not perhaps widely known that the “admiral of the oceans” discovered America believing he was under the illumination of the Holy Spirit, not the light of the stars. In 1502 he wrote to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella: “In the carrying out of this enterprise of the Indies, neither reason nor mathematics nor maps were any use to me: fully accomplished were the words of Isaiah” (referring to the gathering of the remnant of Israel in the last days).

—Christianity Today

1870 Don’t Thank Me

In a concert in Chicago, Harry Lauder, Scottish singer and songwriter, sang to an overflowing audience. At the conclusion, the audience stood en masse, and applauded uproariously. After the applause subsided, the audience said in unison, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

Showing splendid humility, Lauder replied, “Don’t thank me! Thank the good God who put the songs in my heart!”

1871 Haydn’s Response To Acclaim

In 1808, just a year before the death of Franz Joseph Haydn, a grand performance of his outstanding oratorio The Creation took place in Vienna. The composer himself was there for the occasion. Old and feeble, he was brought into the great hall in a wheelchair. His presence caused an electrifiying enthusiasm in the audience. As the orchestra and chorus burst forth with full power into the passage, “And there was light,” a crescendo of applause broke out.

Moved by this response, the elderly musician struggled to his feet. Summoning all his strength, he raised his trembling arms upward, crying, “No, No! Not from me, but from thence—from Heaven above comes all!” Although he fell back exhausted in his chair and had to be carried from the hall, the old master had made his point in a dramatic and unforgettable manner.

—Our Daily Bread

1872 Hallelujah Chorus’ Custom

On March 23, 1743, when “The Messiah” was first performed in London, the king was present in the great audience. It is reported that all were so deeply moved by the “Hallelujah Chorus” that with the impressive words, “For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth,” the whole audience, including the king sprang to its feet, and remained standing through the entire chorus. From that time to this it has always been the custom to stand during the chorus whenever it is performed. With spontaneous joy the soul stands to salute Him who “cometh in the name of the Lord.” He is “King of kings, and Lord of lords” and to Him we pledge allegiance.

—Today

1873 Faraday’s Adoration

Michael Faraday, who died in 1867, was one of the most brilliant scientists of modern times. He was a pioneer in electrical discoveries.

Faraday received practically no education, but in the bookbindery where he found work, he also found a few volumes of science. He read and studied these, and then embarked on the experiments that were to become his religious convictions, so that we are not surprised at these words he uttered with his dying breath:

“I bow before Him who is the Lord of all.”

—Selected

1874 New Voices At Madison Square Garden

Gil Dodds is the minister’s boy who came out of Nebraska to step off the fastest mile ever run on an indoor track. Time 4.10.6. At the end of a race the crowd wondered when he picked up a microphone to acknowledge their applause and said: “I thank the Lord for guiding me through the race, and seeing fit to let me win. I thank Him always for His guiding presence.” The rafters of Madison Square Garden must have trembled; these were new words there. “I don’t win those races. God wins them. You see, God has given me all I have. I have one great lack. I didn’t have the one thing the coaches say a long-distance runner simply must have. I couldn’t sprint at the end of the mile. But God took care of that. In place of the sprint he gave me stamina.” And that is correct. Dodds sprints the whole distance. He sets a killing pace all the way.

—Christian Herald

1875 “What Hath God Wrought!”

In conversation with Professor S. F. B. Morse, the inventor of the telegraph, the Rev. George W. Hervey asked this question:

“Professor Morse, when you were making your experiments yonder in your room in the university, did you ever come to a stand, not knowing what to do next?”

“Oh, yes, more than once.”

“And at such times what did you do next?”

“I may answer you in confidence, sir,” said the professor, “but it is a matter of which the public knows nothing. I prayed for more light.”

“And the light generally came?”

“Yes, and may I tell you that when flattering honors come to me from America and Europe on account of the invention which bears my name, I never felt I deserved them. I had made a valuable application of electricity, not because I was superior to other men, but solely because God, who meant it for mankind, must reveal it to someone, and was pleased to reveal it to me.”

In view of these facts, it is not surprising that the inventor’s first message was, “What hath God wrought!”

—Moody Monthly

See also: Love For God.