Not to us, O LORD, not to us...

As most of you know, I am a huge fan of soundtracks. And I also love pieces that include choral parts...and I also like Latin songs...provided that the lyrics are good of course.:-)
So it's no surprise that when I heard 'Non Nobis Domine' by Patrick Doyle (For Kenneth Branagh's Henry V) on a cd called Cinema Choral Classics, I really liked it. Not only is song very moving to listen to, the tune is extremely hummable, the lyrics are short, and so easy to remember, and the the lyrics are very good at that!:
'Non nobis Domine, non nobis Domine, sed nomine tuo da gloriam'
'Not to us, O LORD, not to us O LORD, but in your name be found the glory.'

I was impressed by the fact that the lyrics of the song seemed to be a prayer, and I began to wonder about Patrick Doyle...
So I liked the song, and I watched the scene from the movie in which the song is sung, I wondered whether the song was in Shakespeare's original play, and if not, then I thought that Doyle and Branagh had made a very good addition to the script by including this song.
I returned the cd to the library, and that was the end of it for a few weeks. I still sugn the song to myself, and quoted it to Brandon, and I just kept it in my head.
Then, last night, we were all sitting in the living room finding the chapters that were included in that nights reading from the Bible. We were reading a set of Psalms - 111 through 118, I think.
I was flipping through the pages, deciding which to read, when my eyes lighted on the first verse of Psalm 115:

'Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.'

Well, you can imagine that I just stared for a few seconds! Those were the words I had been singing! The lyrics of 'Non Nobis Domine' were straight out of the Psalms! Of course I read that one, but the whoel time I wished I still had the recording of the song.

So I was thinking: "What better way to start out the new year, than to be reminded again that whatever happens to me in 2009, and whatever I do, 'not to me, O LORD, not to me - but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.'"
And looking back, to remember to give the glory to God for everything that I've done and been through this past year: two surgeries, becoming the owner of a car, starting to drive, participating in a theater camp and play, writing and participating in a Christmas pageant, and above all, simply living another year - I think I just need to reflect more and remember that all the glory belongs to God.

Happy New Year, and may you be richly blessed by Him who is able to do great and marvelous things beyond what we can possibly hope or imagine - namely, God!