"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! Lord God Almighty! All Thy works shall praise Thy Name in earth and sky and sea. Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!"
"The Lord reigns ... Clouds and thick darkness are all around Him" (Psalm 97:1-2). Darkness hides the Lord God, and Scripture tells us that light also hides Him. God dwells "in unapproachable light" as the King of kings and Lord of lords, "whom no one has ever seen or can see" (1 Timothy 6:16). As people lost in sin, we cannot see God. We cannot come to Him. Instead, in His boundless grace, He came to us.
In fields near Bethlehem on the first Christmas night, the darkness was shattered—and shepherds were frightened!—by God's shining glory as an angel announced the birth of Jesus, the Light of the world. In Jesus, God was both concealed and revealed. When the disciple Philip asked to see God the Father, Jesus said, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). God, whose glory "the eye of sinful man ... may not see," walked on earth in flesh and blood in the Person of His Son.
The glory of God was revealed in Jesus in His mighty works and the wisdom of His teaching. Yet on Good Friday, the powers of darkness were allowed to overcome, for a short time, the glorious Light. Jesus took onto Himself the sins that separate us from God, the sins that held us captive. As the sun's light failed, the Savior suffered the penalty of death for the sins of the world. His body was sealed in a tomb, but on the third day after His death the dawning light revealed the empty tomb. Jesus has risen from the dead!
God has "called us out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9b). As children of light, we reflect the light of Jesus in our lives so that others will see our good works and glorify God. We proclaim repentance and forgiveness in Jesus' Name as we invite others, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to walk in the light. One day, God will welcome us into His presence where we "will need no light of lamp or sun" because God will be our light (Revelation 22:5b). We will join the saints and angels and all of His created works to shout out in eternal praise, "Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!"
WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, lead me to live as a child of the light. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy," which is number 507 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
1. Have you seen anything on earth that speaks to God's magnificence?
2. Though God reigns in glory, He came to us as a baby in a manger. Why do you think that is?
3. How can we reflect God's glory in our lives in a way that points others toward Him?
Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 68, 72, 86 John 14
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