Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.
Holy, Holy, Holy
By: Reginald Heber 1783–1826
Listen to this simple piano version as you read. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.
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Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.
We began our journey through another great hymn this week. In the first half of this stanza, we sought to identify the darkness which sometimes seems to hide God. In the second half, we consider the hope of one of God’s people in her darkness and lift our gaze to see the person of Jesus Christ who perfectly blends God’s power, love and purity. Let’s think about this.
Prayers in the Dark
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Hannah is one of many remarkable figures in Scripture. She was barren, and one of two wives of a man named Elkanah. He loved Hannah very much, as is evidenced in several ways, still her soul was dark with the pain of her infertility.
She cried out to God at the Temple. So distraught was her prayer that Eli the priest rebuked her because he thought her to be drunk. After she explained that it was just sorrow that influenced her cries and not intoxicating drink, he dismissed her asking God to grant her request. And God did in giving her Samuel as a son. She followed through with her commitment to give Samuel back to God after he was weaned.
This verse is part of the beautiful prayer offered as she worshipped the Lord in those moments after leaving Samuel with Eli. She had earned the right to offer this praise to God. He had heard her cry from her dark place and showed Himself to be a rock unlike any other source of wholeness.
“There is none holy like the Lord; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.” 1 Samuel 2:2 ESV
God had delivered her from a very dark place. That deliverance, and her trust of Him even in the midst of it, enabled her to offer this prayer once she was again standing in the light. What a powerful expression of faith!
There is no one holy like our Lord. None besides Him. No rock like our God. Have you experienced this truth in your life? If so, give Him praise right not. If not, ask Him for the faith to receive it, even in the darkness.
Answered with Radiant Glory
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.
Hannah had obviously seen some measure of the power, love, and purity of God. That perspective allowed her to cry out in faith from a place of deep affliction and grief to the One who she believed heard her. That faith sustained her through some very difficult days until better ones came.
What do you look to when you face affliction and grief? That source will greatly influence how you will deal with these powerful emotions. Looking to Jesus, who is the radiance of God’s glory, transforms our perspective of all things, including our darkness.
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…Hebrews 1:3 ESV
Having this perspective of God, revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ, changes how we see everything given that we look at all things through this lens. He is perfect.
He upholds the universe by His power. That same hand that is right now reaching out to you in perfect love, made and sustains the universe. Those same arms that were stretched wide on that cross to demonstrate the perfect love of God, stretch all the way into your darkness to bring light and life. That same perfect life sacrificed as a ransom to make us pure is offered to you in the hope you will but receive and find peace and rest in His Majesty.
There is no one like Him. Will you welcome Him to shine the light of His presence into your darkness? You may be in the midst of some unmentionable pain, but Jesus is right there with you. He never left you. He did not withdraw His hand. Will you accept the offer of His perfect power, love, and purity into your circumstances? He is waiting in radiant glory.
Jesus, thank You for being the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature. Shine Your light into my darkness as You did for Hannah, and when You do, fill my lips with praise as You did hers. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Radiant Thinking!
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Podcast 14.3 Transcript
Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Psalm 97:2 ESV
We can not see Him face-to-face right now. He is veiled by clouds and darkness somehow. And that is probably a good thing, for seeing His glory would cause us to be undone or disintegrated in the light of His integration or wholeness. Thank Him that His glory is veiled.
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’…But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” Exodus 33:19a-20 (ESV)
Moses asked to see God’s glory and this was the Lord’s response. His goodness would pass before Moses, and he would only see God after He had passed, otherwise he would have died. That is how holy our God is. Seeing His holiness would consume us. Thank Him for His holiness.
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
“There is none holy like the Lord; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.” 1 Samuel 2:2 ESV
This is from Hannah’s prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of her son Samuel after long being barren. She had experienced the truth of these words and earned the right to speak them. Have you experienced this truth in your life? If not, ask Him for it. If so, ask for it again.
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…Hebrews 1:3 ESV
This verse speaks of the perfection of Jesus Christ. He upholds the universe by His power. His sacrifice of love is the most selfless act in history, and by it, He purifies us from our sins. Give Him praise!
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.
Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.
The post How Does Perspective Inform Prayers Uttered in the Dark? appeared first on Resonant 7.
Image Attributions
Hannah Praying – https://www.theodysseyonline.com/prayer-the-ultimate-tool
Power, Love and Purity – https://www.foundationarts.com/his-hand-is-stretched-out-still
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