J.J. and S.D.G.

Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

Johann Sebastian Bach, the great eighteenth-century composer, had a small habit that most people never noticed.

At the beginning of many of his compositions he sometimes wrote J.J.—short for Jesu Juva, meaning Jesus, help.

At the end of the piece, he wrote S.D.G.—Soli Deo Gloria.

Glory to God alone.

As a musician, I spent years playing Bach on the flute. If I’m honest, Baroque music was never my favorite. The pieces often felt too structured and repetitive, requiring restraint and precision rather than sweeping emotion. Everything had to be clean, balanced, and controlled.

And restraint like that has never exactly been my strong suit.

But learning this about Bach changed the way I see his music.

He didn’t just compose. He prayed.

Before he began, he asked for Christ’s help. When the work was finished, he gave God the glory.

Somehow those carefully ordered notes look different to me now. What once seemed like disciplined musical patterns were actually something deeper—a quiet offering of worship.

Maybe your prayers sound a lot like those two little letters.

Jesus, help.

Help me make the right decision.
Help me say the right words.
Help me trust You when the situation feels bigger than I am.

During the years when my daughter was struggling with addiction, that simple prayer became the one I whispered more than any other.

Not polished. Not eloquent. Just honest.

But God hears those prayers.

And over time, something beautiful happens. The desperate cries we whisper in the dark slowly become testimonies of what God has done.

The prayers that begin with Jesus, help eventually become lives that say Glory to God alone. Because God never wastes the hardest parts of our story.

You can live that rhythm today.

Before a difficult conversation: Jesus, help.
Before kicking patience to the curb: Jesus, help.
Before trying to control what only God can: Jesus, help.

And when wisdom comes, peace settles in, or strength appears that you know didn’t come from you, there’s only one fitting response:

Glory to God alone.

Imagine framing your days the same way Bach framed his music.

J.J. — Jesus, help.

S.D.G. — Glory to God alone.

You are loved!