The word glory and its related forms appear hundreds of times in Scripture. Often, they are connected to the glory of God, the greatness of His name, and the praise He deserves.
In the Old Testament, God’s glory filled the tabernacle, the temple, and even the whole earth. Today, we are His temple — His people — called to glorify Him with our lives and with our words.
The Psalmist declared, “Let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day” (Psalm 71:8).
That raises an important question: What kind of words come from our mouths that truly glorify God?
In Psalm 34:1-3, David gives us a beautiful answer:
“I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.”
From this passage, we find five powerful words that glorify God.
#1 Bless
David begins by saying, “I will bless the Lord at all times.”
Before we can truly bless the Lord, we must first recognize how richly He has blessed us. Every good thing we enjoy ultimately comes from His hand.
Like Job, we learn to bless God not only in seasons of prosperity, but also in times of pain and uncertainty. When life is good — bless God. When life is difficult — bless God. When we are strong, weak, joyful, stressed, understood, or misunderstood — bless God.
A heart that continually acknowledges God’s goodness is a heart that glorifies Him.
#2 Praise
David said, “His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Praise is more than words sung in worship. It is the heartfelt recognition of who God is and what He has done. We praise Him for His marvelous works in creation, His providential care, His grace, His righteousness, and His salvation.
Psalm 111 reminds us that praise should come from the heart and should be expressed among the assembly of God’s people.
When believers gather together with sincere gratitude and admiration for the Lord, God is glorified.
#3 Boast
“My soul shall make its boast in the Lord.”
The Bible warns against boasting in wealth, achievements, or human ability. Yet there is one kind of boasting that is always right — boasting in the Lord.
The apostle Paul declared, “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14).
As Christians, we can joyfully celebrate what God has done for us through Christ. We boast, not in our goodness, but in His grace. We rejoice that salvation is a gift and not something we have earned.
There is nothing wrong with saying, “Hallelujah! I am saved by the grace of God!”
#4 Magnify
David then invites us, “Oh, magnify the Lord with me.”
To magnify means to make something larger in our sight. Of course, we cannot make God bigger than He already is, but we can enlarge our view of Him.
Too often, we do the opposite. We magnify our problems, our fears, and even ourselves, while minimizing God.
J. B. Phillips famously observed that many people struggle because their concept of God is too small. The more we grow spiritually, the greater our understanding of God’s power, wisdom, and majesty should become.
When we truly magnify the Lord, our faith grows stronger and our perspective changes.
#5 Exalt
Finally, David says, “Let us exalt His name together.”
To exalt means to lift up or raise high. Worship has never been about exalting ourselves. It is about lifting up God because He alone is worthy.
We exalt Him for His holiness, His strength, and His power. We exalt Him because He reigns over all the earth.
Sadly, it is possible for churches, preachers, singers, or individuals to seek attention for themselves rather than directing glory to God. Genuine worship always points upward, never inward.
As Psalm 46:10 reminds us: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations.”
Today and every day, may we renew our awareness of God’s glory. Let us bless His name, praise His wonderful works, boast in His grace, magnify His greatness, and exalt Him for who He is. Those are the kinds of words that truly glorify God.
–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman
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