All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above[1]
It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High . . .” (Psalm 92:1 NRSV)
It is not uncommon to hear the phrase “Praise the Lord!” uttered by Christians or in a Christian context. We say, “Praise the Lord!” when we are emotionally blessed in a worship service. We say, “Praise the Lord!” when some unexpected material blessing comes our way. We say, “Praise the Lord!” when we feel especially close to the Lord in a time of prayer or worship. These are good reasons to praise our God, but there are more. Yes, God deserves our praise for His loving actions for us, but even more He deserves our praise for Who He is in his character and attributes. Johann Schutz captured some of these prompts for praise in his hymn, “All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above.”
All praise to God who reigns above, the God of all creation,
The God of wonders, power and love, the God of our salvation!
With healing balm my soul he fills, the God who every sorrow stills.
To God all praise and glory!
What God’s almighty power hath made his gracious mercy keepeth;
By morning dawn or evening shade his watchful eye ne’er sleepeth;
Within the kingdom of his might, lo, all is just, and all is right.
To God all praise and glory!
I cried to him in time of need: “Lord God, O heart my calling!”
For death he gave me life indeed and kept my feet from falling.
For this my thanks shall endless be; O thank him, thank our God with me.
To God all praise and glory!
The Lord forsaketh not his flock, his chosen generation;
He is their refuge and their rock, their peace, and their salvation.
As with a mother’s tender hand he leads his own, his chosen band.
To God all praise and glory!
Who is this God who is deserving of our highest praise? He is the God of creation. He is the God whose great love is seen in His gift of salvation. He is the Healer of souls and the Comforter of sorrows. He is the God whose mercy keeps us secure. He is the God of perfect justice and righteousness. He is the faithful God who never leaves nor forsakes His own.
And what does our God do that deserves our highest praise? He calms our fears and brings peace to our storm-filled lives. He hears our every cry, picking us up when life has knocked us down. He is our refuge in trouble and our rock when circumstances toss us around. “He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13 NRSV).
With each stanza – with each statement of who God is or what He has done – Schutz repeats his call to praise. Let us join the chorus of saints of all time – the “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) – in lifting our hearts and voices to answer the call of Johann Schutz: “To God all praise and glory!”
Follow this YouTube link for a video that you can use as an accompaniment to your singing this hymn.
[1] Schutz, Johann J. THE TRINITY HYMNAL, Hymn 4. Suwanee, Ga: Great Commission Publications, 2006
Musings and Contemplations 