Exegeting the Hymns #84 - Praise to the Lord the Almighty

Praise to the Lord the Almighty
w/m - Joachim Neander, Catherine Winkworth, Straisund Gesangbuch

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near,
Join me in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee!
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee;
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do
Who with His love doth befriend thee

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the amen sound from His people again;
Gladly forever adore Him.

Over and over scripture calls on the people of God to Praise the Lord… and not just in the psalms. It is well over 130 times, so God must not only be worthy of our praise, but must take delight when His people do praise Him. This hymn (the 6th most popular of all time) is a great example of a “God-focused” song. It is about what God can do, has done, and will do.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation! God not only created this world and sustains it with His almighty power, but loves us so much that He gives us “every spiritual blessing” and many earthly blessings as well. He never promised us perfect physical health, or even good health for that matter, but is the true source of the health of our soul. Any emotional therapy that we receive that does not include the work of God is empty. Just as any salvation we may seek apart from Him is built upon no foundation and will crumble in the end.  

All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near. Join me in glad adoration. This is a great example of a line that the congregation sings horizontally. While our praise is aimed at God alone, this is an exhortation to the person standing next to you to join you in multiplying that praise.

Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth, Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth! I have a hard enough time balancing my checkbook or herding a couple of kids around a store. God sustains and reigns sovereignly over every single action in the universe at every single second of time. That is how much God is higher than us. All we can do is just wonder in awe of His greatness. Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been granted in what He ordaineth? Every step we take, every desire we see fulfilled in this life, is ordained by God. While we have the free will to obey or not obey, God uses it all in His perfect plan to bring about our good and His glory.

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee! Every blessing comes from God. All the fruits of our labors are by His hand, and every moment of peace and protection we experience are graces He gives us. That’s why the verse continues: Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee. Ponder anew what the Almighty can do Who with His love doth befriend thee. Praise God today for His love for you.

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him! All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him! Let the amen sound from His people again; Gladly forever adore Him. I can’t wait to stand in the throne room of heaven and join my voice with the saints of all the ages and the heavenly spirit beings in praise to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In my most sanctified times here on earth, when I am most overwhelmed by God’s goodness, my praise still falls so short. Maybe then, when freed from this body of death, I will adequately be able to give praise to the Lord, the Almighty!
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