Beyond the Hymnal: Doxology

“Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ…” (Ephesians 1:3, AMP)

“Through Him, therefore, let us at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.” (Hebrews 13:15, AMP)

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him among ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

These words start and end multitudes of church meetings every week, as Christians meet to praise the Lord and fellowship together. The hymn is so popular, it has come to be called simply, “The Doxology,” a word meaning an expression of praise to the Lord.

If such a stanza of worship has come to epitomize praising God itself, then it would probably surprise some that this hymn, and the additional verses that originally belonged to it, was frowned upon by the church at the time it was written. To this I chuckle, because the modern church debates so heavily on whether contemporary worship or traditional hymns are the better way to worship God.

But many staunch purists clutching their hymnals forget that at one time, writing original hymns was heavily critiqued and frowned upon. In the 17th century, the only form of public worship was to sing actual scripture, the Psalms. Enter Thomas Ken, an English chaplain who ministered at Winchester College, an all-boys school close to the southern coast of England.

In an effort to encourage the boys to develop a devotional routine, Thomas wrote three hymns to be sung at various points throughout the day. One hymn to be sung upon waking, another just before bed, and the third to be sung at midnight for those to whom “sleep didn’t come.” This was revolutionary for the time, as English-written and composed hymns didn’t exist prior. To skirt around public disdain for original worship, Thomas encouraged the boys to sing these hymns privately during their personal devotion time.

Each installment of these hymns contained their own unique verses– the morning hymn containing thirteen stanzas!– but all three ended with a common coda: what we now know as “The Doxology.”

And though that stanza is short, it is powerful. Those lyrics have the ability to call many to worship at a moment’s notice, drawing our attention and affection towards our God who is worthy of every effort of worship we can give. They remind us that He alone has the ability to pour out all the awesome spiritual blessings heaven has to offer, and they pour out of His supreme will. We have no bearing or ability to make Him turn His affections toward us. We have no talent or merit to be plucked out of the masses and be blessed except that He is pleased to choose those who He calls His own.

And so it is no wonder that Thomas Ken found it so important to put pen to paper and write these praises to God that would remind His students to go to the Lord throughout the day, offering up sacrifices of worship to Him. It was Thomas’ desire that those boys would grow into men that relied on the Lord and turned to Him consistently, in their mundane routine, to bless the Lord and magnify Him.

It should be the same for us. May we open our eyes and praise Him. May we go through our days and worship Him. Let us lay our heads down to sleep still thanking Him for everything He has given us, from the highlights to the downfalls and every normalcy in between. And if sleep evades us, keeping us awake beyond what we hoped for, let us take it as an opportunity to turn to the Lord in prayer, spending that unplanned time with our ever-present Father and Friend.

That should be what we aspire to be remembered for and leave behind: a life that is filled with turning to the Lord and acknowledging that we could not take a single breath without His help. We should be remembered as people that set God as the focal point and the goal, allowing Him to bless and lead us as He sees fit. If we are His people, then we should be known to all as His people, not hiding our devotion for the Lord behind a facade that makes the world more comfortable. 

Thomas Ken would go on to become the appointed chaplin for King Charles II. When asked to lodge one of the king’s many mistresses, Thomas rebuked the king, saying he would not condone the king’s sexual immorality for all the kingdom. Afterward, King Charles referred to him as “that little man who refused lodging to poor Nellie.”

Charles’ successor, James II, would later throw Thomas in the Tower of London as punishment for his Protestant beliefs. He was eventually released and died on March 11, 1711. He was buried at sunrise and the Doxology was sung at his funeral.

Let this hymn be more than today’s call to worship within your own personal time with the Lord. Let it be a call to live a life in praise to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Remember that this hymn– tried, true, and now the highest example of doxology in the Church today– was once sung privately in dorm rooms and studies, thought to be too newfangled for corporate worship. And in a way, it was written and conceived to help you as an individual turn to the Lord in daily and meaningful worship as you walk by faith in Christ.

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen!