Glorifying and praising God is the heart of Christian worship. To glorify God is to exalt and honor Him, and praise is to extol His greatness. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for glory comes from the same root word for “weighty” or “heavy.” In the New Testament, the meaning of the original Greek is more about radiance and brightness. Ultimately, to glorify means “to make much of something.”[1]
When we think about what Jesus has done for us and is doing, we want to give Him praise and glory! We can be called to faith only through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. To be called to faith is the work of the Holy Spirit, who opens our hearts. When we ask our Savior to come into our hearts, our life in this world and eternity changes. Praise the Lord!
Angels Praise and Give Glory to God
On the evening of the birth of Jesus, an angel appeared to the shepherds, telling them the Savior, the Messiah, had been born. Then many angels appeared praising God, saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” [2] Luke 2:14. The angels had been given a significant assignment of telling the shepherds the good news of the birth of Jesus, but before they went back to heaven, they praised God.
The Lord is always worthy of our praise, and news of the long-awaited Savior was a special time to give thanks. The prophets had long told about the coming of the Messiah, and that time had now arrived. God’s plan to save humanity was now in its final stages.
The Shepherds Praise God
After the shepherds heard the good news of the birth of the Savior, they hurried off to Bethlehem to see what the angels had told them about. Luke 2:16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. [3]
The angels praised God, and the shepherds also praised Him for sending a Savior to rescue them from their sins. The message of the coming of the Savior was indeed good news, as the angel had said. For sinners like us, we can be so thankful that the Lord sent His Son into this world to rescue us. May we forever give praise and glory to God for what He has done!
To learn more about glorifying and praising God, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/fulfilled-birth-of-jesus
[1] https://www.apologia.com/blog/glory-god-leads-us-worship/?gclid=CjwKCAjwjOunBhB4EiwA94JWsJtEi23j_oU4LjVx77Ubm4iGXQPrN_k4Fv1i5QUuhegzfVdkw55f3BoC5SQQAvD_BwE
[2,3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.