SDG JJ

There is something the famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach did when he composed his musical pieces. He often wrote at the beginning S.D.G which is a Latin phrase Soli Deo Gloria meaning, "To God alone be the glory. At the end he would write J.J. which stands for Jesu Juva, "Jesus help".

I remember wondering what that meant when I would find pages from my husband’s sermons around the house with “SDG JJ” written at the top. Wes shared that he learned the phrase from Bach and wanted to make it his own prayer.

We often hear of practices to pray before you start something, or ideas for memorizing by using only the first letter of the word. I'm trying to slow down and recognize the beauty around me. One of the most powerful prayers that I see answered in my life is watching my husband open God's word and preach, knowing that at the top of every sermon is written a prayer, SDG JJ.

He said that it was his honest prayer: Only for God's Glory and Jesus, help me.

I don't think about SDG JJ as often as my husband does. After all, he writes sermons every week, and these words have become his prayer. But I was reminded of them recently because I have a friend named Juva. When I mentioned her in conversation, Wes immediately began sharing what her name meant, and I could tell it was deeply personal to him.