Tag Archives: Praise to the Lord

Religion in the Culture

Hymn Meditation

Open Hymnal

Praise to the Lord

  1. 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!
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

Text by: Joachim Neander

Source: http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh139.sht

  • What does the hymn writer think is his reason for praise in verse 1?
  • What links health and salvation?
  • How would you explain verse 2 to someone who believe there is a wall between the sacred and the secular in people’s lives?
  • What is the evidence that God’s mercy is present and active in your life?
  • What things about your life do you attribute to God’s mercy present with you at all times?
  • Do you know anyone who would refuse to join you in praise to God? Why? What would you say in an attempt to help them come to know God?
  • What scene (or scenes) in the Bible come to mind when you sing this song?

By Katherine Harms, author of Oceans of Love available for Kindle at Amazon.com.

Image: Open Hymnal
Source:http://foter.com/
License: CC BY-NC-SA

Faith Practice, the Exercise

Stop and Think About a Hymn

2 Comments

Praise to the LordOpen Hymnal

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
Praise Him in glad adoration

Praise to the Lord
Who o’er all things so wonderfully reigneth
Shelters thee under His wings
Yea, so gladly sustaineth
Hast thou not seen
how thy desires e’er have been
Granted in what He ordaineth

Praise to the Lord
Who doth prosper
they work and defend thee
Surely His goodness
and mercy here daily attend thee
Ponder anew
what the Almighty can do
If with His love He befriend thee

By Joachim Neander 1860
Translated from German to English
by Catherine Winkworth 1863
Text in the Public Domain
Source: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/p/passion/praise_to_the_lord_the_almighty.html

 

  • The theme of this hymn is God the Father, the Almighty, the Creator. Secular thinkers believe that the Big Bang happened by chance, and after it happened, the laws of thermodynamics took charge of the universe. How can Christians respond to secularists who aggressively demand that the teaching of creation as a legitimate explanation of the origin of the universe be removed from public schools?
  • If, as the hymnwriter declares, our “desires e’er have been Granted in what He ordaineth,” what does that mean? How would you explain it to someone who believes that every event is ultimately a data point in a probability spectrum?
  • The hymn writer believes that God cares what becomes of people and gives them power to earn what they need for their living. Secularists teach that human beings must dig deep within themselves in order to prosper and earn a living. What do you believe?

By Katherine Harms, author of Oceans of Love available for Kindle at Amazon.com.

Image: Open hymnal
href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/pelegrino/16257877172/”>Nick in exsilio /
Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

 

Faith Practice, the Exercise

A Verse for Meditation

Torah ScrollSing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.  Psalm 30:4

  • The author of this psalm had just recovered from a dire illness. Have you ever experienced a moment when if not near death you felt imminently threatened by it? How did you feel after you recovered?
  • Sometimes people who have experienced terror or terrible pain feel that they have grown stronger because of it. Read Psalm 30:1-3, the text preceding this verse. How did the psalmist feel about his recovery?
  • Read the following text, Psalm 30:5-10. The psalmist provides a little history of his problem. When you read, “I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved,” what words come to mind? What was the psalmist’s attitude when everything appeared to be going his way?
  • Read Psalm 30:11-12, the closing verses. What changed after the psalmist experienced God’s intervention in his life in a dark and dangerous emergency?
  • Secular thinkers believe they do not need any god when they have trouble. They believe that human beings can take care of themselves and don’t need any “ghost stories” to help them. What would the psalmist say in response to that attitude?
Faith Practice, the Exercise

A Hymn for Meditation

4 Comments

hymnalPraise to the Lord

Praise to the Lord,
the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him,
for he is your strength and salvation!
Let all who hear now to his temple draw near,
joining in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord,
who o’er all things is wondrously reigning
and as on wings of an eagle
uplifting, sustaining.
Have you not seen
all that is needful has been
Sent by his gracious ordaining?

Praise to the Lord!
Oh, let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath,
come now with praises before him!
Let the amen
sound from his people again.
Gladly forever adore him!

By Jonathan Neander

  •  Find all the words in this hymn that describe God. Can you think of others that you could use to write another verse to this hymn for your personal use?
  • Find all the reasons the hymnwriter gives for praising the Lord. Neander’s hymn actually has more verses, but these are the most commonly sung. Can you think of more reasons to praise God?
  • The hymnwriter based this hymn on material from Psalm 103 and Psalm 150. Why is it useful to know the background of the hymn? You have almost certainly sung this hymn in worship. Why do you think it is so popular with Christians around the world?
  • Have you ever used a hymnal as a devotional guide? Certainly this hymn provokes thought and prayer. Can you think of at least two other hymns that would promote devotional thought?