HYMN STORIES: The Songs We Sing

“Praise  to the Lord, The Almighty”

This week’s opening hymn Praise to the Lord, the Almighty was written in 1680 by German pastor and poet Joachim Neander (1650-1680) who lived a short and turbulent life in Bremen, a town in northwest Germany.  As a 21-year-old student of Latin and poetry, Neander went with two friends to a local church service seeking to mock and criticize its new pastor. Instead, after hearing the preaching of the Gospel, Neander was converted to Christianity and devoted his life to the study of theology. 

This hymn is a wonderful example of how in hymns we seek to glorify God and we express our faith about God to each other.  Biblical worship is both vertical (between God & man) and horizontal (we sing to one another), and this hymn is rich in each. The opening lines of each stanza contain declarations of praise, often addressing one's own soul, much as David did in Psalm 103:1-2. The Lord is worthy of praise because He is our Sovereign creator and sustainer, our provider and our defender!

The second half of each stanza is a celebration of the communal nature of our praise. Our great love for God leads us to call others to "join me in glad adoration." When we sing together, we are to "teach and admonish" one another (Colossians 3:16). As we ask one another to examine how, through God's provision, our "desires have been granted," may we "ponder anew what the Almighty can do," so that a loud amen may "sound from His people again!"

At the age of thirty, Mr. Neander was diagnosed with tuberculosis. After only ten years of loving and serving his Savior, the young pastor and teacher passed from this life to Heaven. During his illness, he wrote the hymn “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty.”

Reverence is “awareness of how God is working through the people and events in my life to produce the character of Christ in me.” As we recognize God’s loving work in our lives, our hearts will be turned to exalt Him. Mr. Neander’s hymn testifies of his reverence for God:  No matter who or what God allows in our lives, whether pleasant or unpleasant, we can trust and praise Him. As we trust God and His goodness in all things, we will develop reverence for Him. We can joyfully worship God, who is worthy of all our praise!

Shared by Lindrew Johnson, Director of Worship