Daily Devotion

Glorious things of thee are spoken

Audio

Today is Friday, the 9th of May. Take a moment to be still before the Lord.

We start by saying a familiar prayer, adapted for personal confession:

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, 
I have sinned against you and against my fellow men,
in thought and word and deed
through negligence, through weakness, 
through our own deliberate fault.
I am truly sorry and repent of all my sins. 
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, 
who died for us, forgive us all that is past; 
and grant that I may serve you in newness of life;
to the glory of your name. Amen.

We read the appointed psalm for today, Psalm 107, verses 1 to 7:

107 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever!
² Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
    whom he has redeemed from trouble
³ and gathered in from the lands,
    from the east and from the west,
    from the north and from the south.

⁴ Some wandered in desert wastes,
    finding no way to a city to dwell in;
⁵ hungry and thirsty,
    their soul fainted within them.
⁶ Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
⁷ He led them by a straight way
    till they reached a city to dwell in.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever. Amen.

The Scripture Reading is taken from Ephesians 3:7-13:

⁷ Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. ⁸ To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, ¹⁰ so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹ This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. ¹³ So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

Reflection

We often celebrate the Church for her visible strengths—her moral influence, charitable works, vibrant community life, and cultural contributions. And when these traits seem absent or diminished, we may be quick to judge her as ineffective—or even as a failure.

But this passage challenges us to see the Church differently: not through the lens of human achievement or societal impact, but through the lens of God’s eternal purpose for her. According to Ephesians 3:10, it is through the Church that the manifold wisdom of God is now made known—not to earthly rulers or institutions, but to the authorities in the heavenly realms.

This does not negate the Church’s role in the world. Scripture elsewhere affirms her responsibility to be salt and light, a visible witness in society. Yet here, the focus shifts to something far more transcendent: the Church as a testimony to God’s wisdom before spiritual beings, a cosmic witness of divine grace and purpose.

That God would choose a redeemed human community to glorify Him in the heavenly places is a mystery that continues to stir wonder and praise.

For this reason, Paul urges believers not to lose heart when Church leaders suffer for the sake of the gospel (v. 13). From a worldly point of view, persecution, imprisonment, or apparent weakness may seem like signs of failure. But heaven sees differently. Through the lens of eternity, such trials reveal the power and wisdom of God.

Throughout history—and even today—we may find countless reasons to be disillusioned with the Church. But if we rely only on human perspective, we will miss her deeper, spiritual identity and calling.

Make no mistake: in the heavenly realms, the Church is not seen as weak or irrelevant, but as the very stage upon which God displays His infinite wisdom.

Will we learn to see her the same way? Will we join heaven in its awe?

In Closing

We end with this beautiful hymn about the Church, Glorious things of thee are spoken.

1 Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God.
He whose Word cannot be broken
formed thee for His own abode.
On the Rock of Ages founded,
what can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s walls surrounded,
thou may’st smile at all thy foes.

2 See, the streams of living waters,
springing from eternal love,
well supply thy sons and daughters
and all fear of want remove.
Who can faint while such a river 
ever flows their thirst to assuage?
Grace, which like the Lord, the Giver,
never fails from age to age.

3 ‘Round each habitation hov’ring,
see the cloud and fire appear
for a glory and a cov’ring,
showing that the Lord is near.
Thus deriving from their banner
light by night and shade by day,
safe they feed upon the manna
which He gives them on their way.

4 Savior, since of Zion’s city
I through grace a member am,
let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in Thy name.
Fading is the worldling’s pleasures,
all his boasted pomp and show;
solid joys and lasting treasures
none but Zion’s children know.

Link to today’s Morning Office