Exegeting the Hymns #38 - May The Peoples Praise You

May the Peoples Praise You
w/m Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, David Zimmer, Stuart Townend, Ed Cash

You have called us out of darkest night into Your glorious light
That we may sing the wonders of the risen Christ
May our every breath retell the grace that broke into our strife
With boundless love and deepest joy with endless life

May the peoples praise You.  Let the nations be glad
All Your blessing comes that we may praise
May praise the Name of Jesus

All the earth is Yours and all within.  Each harvest is Your own
And from Your hand we give to You to make Christ known
May the seeds of mercy grow in us for those who have not heard
May songs of praise build lives of grace to spread Your Word

This our holy privilege to declare Your praises and Your name
To every nation, tribe and tongue, Your church proclaims

Holy, holy is the Lord Almighty
Worthy, worthy is the Lamb Who was slain
Holy, holy is the Lord Almighty
All creation praise Your glorious Name

According to the writers, this song was “Inspired by Psalm 67, this hymn is a call to worship and mission”. Psalm 67 says, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!”

This psalm and this song are a call for God to receive all the blessing and honor and glory and majesty the He receives in heaven, from those of us here on earth. We know from Revelation 4–5 that the angelic beings, elders, and heavenly creatures praise God ceaselessly around the throne. May our praise, here on earth, join theirs in an unending chorus of praise.  

You have called us out of darkest night into Your glorious light that we may sing the wonders of the risen Christ. We were saved, not because God owed us anything, nor because He needed us, nor because we were desirable, but because God receives glory from saving us. He makes us alive so that we will bring Him honor, and we should forever praise Him for His love toward us. God can never receive too much glory, and through His creation, God will receive ultimate glory in both His justice and His mercy. May our every breath retell the grace that broke into our strife with boundless love and deepest joy with endless life.

May the peoples praise You. Let the nations be glad. All Your blessing comes that we may praise, may praise the Name of Jesus. We know that one day every knee will bow, and our prayer should be that all men bring praise to Him here on earth, before they are forced to bow in judgment. God’s graciousness has been a blessing to all of the nations. We should count those blessings as an opportunity to praise the Giver of those blessings.

All the earth is Yours and all within. Each harvest is Your own, and from Your hand we give to You to make Christ known. As believers, we have been promised every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies (Ephesians 1), but God also blesses us with so many physical blessings, our “daily bread”. May the seeds of mercy grow in us for those who have not heard. May songs of praise build lives of grace to spread Your Word. Too often, we receive the blessings of God and just sit back and enjoy, when instead, we should let those blessings spur us on to share the goodness of our God with others. Yes, in physical ways, but more importantly, in the life altering message of the gospel.

This our holy privilege to declare Your praises and Your name to every nation, tribe and tongue, Your church proclaims. Evangelism is not only a duty, but a privilege. We are messengers, ambassadors for the King, and we have the greatest message ever to tell. What part are we playing in our role as evangelists? Do we live, speak, think, act, spend, worship, trust, and obey as though we serve the King of kings and Lord of lords? We have a duty to go into the world, wherever that leads us and be more than just spiritual gluttons who increase in knowledge, but never let that knowledge fuel us to action. This is an area I know I need to make a concerted effort to grow in.

I want my friends, neighbors, everyone I come into contact with to sing with me… Holy, holy is the Lord Almighty. Worthy, worthy is the Lamb Who was slain. Holy, holy is the Lord Almighty. All creation praise Your glorious Name.

---