The Glory Song

Heather Allington

Heather writes for Sunday Song Book on behalf of the The Salvation Army Oshawa. As a lifelong member of the Army, she has loved these familiar - and some less familiar - songs for many years, and enjoys researching and writing about their origins. She is a wife, mother, grandmother and retired elementary school teacher who likes trying her hand at watercolour painting and poetry writing.

When all my labours and trials are o’er
And I am safe on that beautiful shore,
Just to be near the dear Lord I adore
Will through the ages be glory for me.

CHORUS:
O that will be glory for me,
Glory for me, glory for me!
When by His grace I shall look on His face,
That will be glory, be glory for me!

When by the gift of His infinite grace
I am accorded in Heaven a place,
Just to be there, and to look on His face,
Will through the ages be glory for me.

Friends will be there I have loved long ago;
Joy like a river around me will flow,
Yet just a smile from my Saviour, I know,
Will through the ages be glory for me.

Do you ever look forward to the day when you will see Jesus face to face? It is hard to imagine how any of us will react when that time comes! When Charles Gabriel wrote this song in 1900, apparently many people were attracted to its message. First, however, it came to the attention of Charles Alexander, a noted evangelist. His verdict was “That man has wasted a page, for I do not believe that song will be sung much.” When Alexander attended a convention several months later, though, he heard people singing The Glory Song enthusiastically, causing him to teach it to his friends and co-workers. Soon the song became popular around the world, and it was translated into many languages and used in many evangelistic campaigns! It had been inspired by Gabriel’s friend, Ed Card, a speaker who often used the word “Glory!” in his messages and often ended his prayers with, “And that will be glory for me!”

When Charles Gabriel was a boy, he had told his mother that one day he would write a song that would become world famous. She replied that she would rather have him write a song that would help somebody than see him become president of the United States. How delighted she would be to know that more than one hundred years later, her son’s writing was still blessing many!