To him be the glory forever
7 doxologies to pray this week
Many of the letters in the New Testament feature a doxology, a short expression of praise meant to draw the reader’s attention to the power, glory, and praise of God.
There’s not necessarily hard-and-fast criteria for what makes something a doxology, but many of the ones we find in the NT end with some variation of the phrase, “to him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
I’m (clearly) a words person, and I’ve always loved the poetry that is packed into these short statements. They’re the cherry on top of the epistles, putting into context the importance of perseverance through the conflicts, questions, and trials that the letters address.
So, I decided to round up a handful of doxologies from the Old Testament that you can use in your prayer and praise rhythms this week. Choose one to memorize, pray a different one each day, or simply take some time to reflect on the attributes of God that are highlighted in each one.
1. Romans 16:25-27
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
2. Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
3. 1 Timothy 6:13-16
I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
4. 2 Timothy 4:18
The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
5. 1 Peter 5:10-11
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
6. Jude 1:24-25
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
7. Revelation 1:5-6
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
From the archives:
It’s been a year since our deep dive into 1 John! Read here for the first entry, published last April:
Walk in the light
I took an entrepreneurial journalism class in my last semester of grad school (ironically, that class introduced me to the Substack platform—full circle moment!). One of the readings that sticks out to me from that class was on a topic called “boundary setting.”
A visual reminder:
