My Tribute…My Blessing

Yesterday morning during our Sunday worship service at church I sang a solo. It was my second time this year. I sang the song “My Tribute” a song written by Andre Crouch. It was very popular when I as a teenager and has always been one of my favorite gospel songs. When I chose the song I thought it would be appropriate for the worship service the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

Many of you may know the song but only by the first few words of the chorus.

“To God be the glory, to God be the glory
To God be the glory for the things He has done”

I sang the song right before the sermon as the church offering was being collected. As I stood on the platform in front of more than 300 people who were there I began to look around. As I sang the words “To God Be The Glory” my mind started seeing thing in slow motion. I started noticing all individuals in the congregation who have been blessed with answered prayers over the past few years.

I saw a teenage boy who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year but is now fully healed. I saw a woman sitting in the balcony who, a couple of years ago was stricken with a rare disease that caused her to lose all use of her muscles. God healed her and now she is an active member of our congregation.

As I continued to look around I saw so many people whom God has blessed that I couldn't’t begin to name them all here. The song I was singing quickly turned into an open praise complete with illustrations. All those people’s lives were glowing testimonies to the God’s glory. I was being blessed while singing my song.

Then finally the Holy Spirit showed me something that turned my song of praise into something very personal. I looked in the back of the church and saw my wife listening to me sing. She was standing in the vestibule very close to the same spot where I saw her walk down the aisle at the start of our wedding ceremony. My mind quickly became flooded with thoughts that filtered down though my heart and became memories of blessings; the uncountable blessings that God has given me since I took the Love of My Live as my wife and began following Him as Lord.

I fought back the tears from my eyes and did my best not to let my voice quiver as I finished the song. I had my own personal worship service that I will not soon forget. Within the 3 minutes and 30 seconds it took me to sing the song God revealed something to me that wiped away weeks of depression that stemmed from my feelings of irrelevance.

God is not in some far off corner watching me as I struggle on my own in life. He’s actively working in my life and blessing me. He’s giving me His strength to life my life every day. That strength has been provided though the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. As another popular song says “Because He lives I can face tomorrow.” Not only can I face tomorrow; I am blessed as well. Every Christian who loves and obeys God and His word is blessed. To God Be The Glory For The Things He Has Done!