Top Ten Hymns: The Runners-Up

Here is a collection of absolutely wonderful hymns that I like, but which I could not squeeze into the Top Ten list (alphabetized by title). One stanza of each is included:

Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed? (Words by Isaac Watts [Refrain by Ralph Hudson]; the most common tunes are Martyrdom by Hugh Wilson, which omits the refrain, and Hudson, by Ralph Hudson, which includes it. Also goes by the title At The Cross when the refrain is used)

Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For sinners such as I?
[originally, For such a worm as I?]

Refrain

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name (Words by Edward Perronet. It is one of the few hymns sung to three widely-recognized tunes: Coronation by Oliver Holden, Diadem by James Ellor, and Miles Lane by William Shrubsole)

All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.

At Calvary (Words by William Newell, Music by Daniel Towner) Here is the final stanza and refrain:

Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary!

Refrain

Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary.

Battle Hymn of the Republic (Words by Julia Ward Howe; Music source unknown) Here is the little-used fourth stanza:

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

Jesus Loves Me (Words by Anna B. Warner; Music by William Bradbury) Many people don't think of this as a hymn, though it is; it is, along with Amazing Grace, one of the two most recognized Christian songs in the world. It also contains one of the simplest and most easily understood doctrinal statements on the earth: "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.

Refrain

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (Words by Isaac Watts; Music: Hamburg by Lowell Mason) Meditate on this final stanza:

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Care to contribute one to the list? Leave a comment!

Past Entries in this Series:

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #1: Amazing Grace

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #2: Holy, Holy, Holy
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #3: The Old Rugged Cross
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #4: Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #5: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #6: To God Be The Glory
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #7: Onward Christian Soldiers
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #8: How Great Thou Art
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #9: It Is Well With My Soul
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #10: All Creatures of Our God and King

Introduction

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #1: Amazing Grace

Anyone knowledgeable about hymns who looked at the last entry in this series could probably have figured out that Amazing Grace surely had to be #1. It is probably the most popular and best-known hymn in the English language.

That "Amazing Grace" about which John Newton wrote was incredibly apparent in his own life. In his youth he was a sailor who became godless and reprobate. He eventually commanded a slave trading ship. Once he was saved, he experienced that grace of which he wrote and eventually became a minister in England. He served God for many years thereafter.

Newton wrote lyrics to many other hymns (perhaps the best known of which is Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken) but none is remotely close to the popularity and ubiquity of Amazing Grace. Meditate upon these words—all seven stanzas—and if they mean nothing to you, consider and accept God's grace that He offers freely to all of us.

Coming tomorrow: The Runners-Up

Amazing Grace

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

Past Entries in this Series:

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #2: Holy, Holy, Holy
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #3: The Old Rugged Cross
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #4: Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #5: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #6: To God Be The Glory
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #7: Onward Christian Soldiers
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #8: How Great Thou Art
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #9: It Is Well With My Soul
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #10: All Creatures of Our God and King

Introduction

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #2: Holy, Holy, Holy

My mother told me once that, when she attended the Highspire Church of God as a child, they sang this hymn every Sunday. I think that is a great tradition.

Outside of Scripture, there are very few words in the English language that so powerfully and beautifully remind us that God is a Holy God. The "Holy, holy, holy" comes from Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8, where in both cases angelic beings are speaking directly and specifically about God Himself.

The holiness of God is a topic which we American Christians woefully under-emphasize. There are two key principles about God's holiness, found in Lev. 11:44 and 1 Peter 1:15-16:

1. God is holy.
2. We, therefore, must be holy.

It is impossible for us, as finite and sinful humans, to comprehend fully the holiness of God...but it is worthwhile to try. This hymn helps us do that. It encapsulates, in a beautiful and concise way, several of the key teachings about God's holiness: Angels fall down before Him; no one and nothing is as holy as God; every created thing must praise God and His holiness.

The fact that we are to be holy as God is holy gives us a great responsibility—one possible only after salvation and through God's gracious help. Have you accepted His salvation and asked for His help in walking a holy walk through this world?

The words and music are by Reginald Heber and John B. Dykes, respectively.

Holy, Holy, Holy

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

Past Entries in this Series:

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #3: The Old Rugged Cross
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #4: Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #5: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #6: To God Be The Glory
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #7: Onward Christian Soldiers
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #8: How Great Thou Art
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #9: It Is Well With My Soul
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #10: All Creatures of Our God and King

Introduction

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #3: The Old Rugged Cross

"So I'll cherish the old rugged cross...."

If that line does not move you as a Christian, something isn't right. George Bennard, an evangelist, wrote the words and music to this hymn in 1913. Its message is both simple and profound: I cherish that cross because of what Christ did on that cross. He did something for me that I never deserved, and "I will ever be true" to that cross and that Savior.

There is no salvation without the cross. Our sins demanded a perfect blood sacrifice. Old Testament prophecies spoke of that sacrifice. And only Jesus Christ could fulfill all this, dying as He did on a cross of wood nearly two millennia ago.

Have you accepted Christ's gift of salvation? You can read more about doing so here.

Interesting Note: This hymn has a Michigan connection. George Bennard lived part of his life here in Michigan, and it is believed by many that he wrote the hymn here in Michigan. There is even an Old Rugged Cross Historical Museum in Reed City, Michigan.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

Refrain

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

Refrain

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

Refrain

Past Entries in this Series:

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #4: Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #5: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #6: To God Be The Glory
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #7: Onward Christian Soldiers
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #8: How Great Thou Art
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #9: It Is Well With My Soul
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #10: All Creatures of Our God and King

Introduction

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #4: Great Is Thy Faithfulness

This hymn is probably my personal all-time favorite. Written by Thomas Chisholm, and later put to music by William Runyan, it has become widely known since 1923.

The words get their inspiration from Lamentations 3:22-23:

²²It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

²³They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Those words from Scripture have always been a great comfort to those who have read them, and so, too, have the lyrics to Chisholm's song. God is faithful; He always has been and always will be. His blessings to us are beyond tabulation and comprehension. What a great thought upon which to meditate!

The words to the hymn are still under copyright by Hope Publishing Company in Carol Stream, IL.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Refrain

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Refrain

Past Entries in this Series:

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #5: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #6: To God Be The Glory
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #7: Onward Christian Soldiers
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #8: How Great Thou Art
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #9: It Is Well With My Soul
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #10: All Creatures of Our God and King

Introduction

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #5: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott is probably the best-known hymn in the German language, written by one of Germany's greatest and most famous men nearly five hundred years ago. Martin Luther's words were translated from German to English by Frederic Hedge in 1853, and it has become extremely well-known in the English language as well. Luther also is credited with the music to this hymn.

The words, when meditated upon, have a much stronger meaning when one remembers that Martin Luther was the greatest figure of the Reformation. He was targeted by the established Catholic church and by certain rulers for destruction, and was fought fiercely in both religious and royal circles. His followers suffered persecution for Christ's sake. His life encountered tribulations. Through the midst of all this, however, he stood strongly for the cause of Christ and fanned the flames of Protestantism—thereby changing the world forever.

The words speak of a faith that is stronger than most men have....God has no equal; He will win the battle; His kingdom is forever. I hope that all of us will beg God for this kind of faith.

This hymn, like #7 on the list (see below), was also sung at President Eisenhower's funeral.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

Past Entries in this Series:

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #6: To God Be The Glory
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #7: Onward Christian Soldiers
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #8: How Great Thou Art
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #9: It Is Well With My Soul
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #10: All Creatures of Our God and King

Introduction

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #6: To God Be The Glory

It would be nearly impossible to choose ten great hymns without including at least one by Fanny Crosby, perhaps the greatest hymn lyricist of all time. She wrote about 8000 hymns, at least 500 of which were put to music and are still used in the universe of hymns.

Along with Blessed Assurance, this is perhaps Crosby's best-known and loved hymn. Its first stanza is a simple, yet profound, glorification of the God who provided mankind with salvation. The refrain and second stanza echo this, while the third stanza speaks of the glory we will behold when we who have accepted Christ as Savior meet Him in heaven.

I hope that all who read this post can sing these words from a sincere and believing heart.

To God Be the Glory

To God be the glory, great things He has done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Refrain

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He has done.

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Refrain

Great things He has taught us, great things He has done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.

Refrain

Past Entries in this Series:

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #7: Onward Christian Soldiers
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #8: How Great Thou Art
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #9: It Is Well With My Soul
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #10: All Creatures of Our God and King

Introduction

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #7: Onward Christian Soldiers

One of the marks of a great hymn is that it is consistent with the Bible. In many passages we are reminded that we are in a battle with the devil and his forces, one which will never end until the final victory recorded in Revelation. On the flip side, sometimes the biggest battles Christians engage in are with...other Christians! The unity of the Church in its mission for God and against Satan is often sacrificed for more trivial matters.

This hymn, composed by Englishman Sabine Baring-Gould for a Whit-Monday school festival in 1865, emphasizes key elements of our ongoing spiritual battle:

• Christ is our leader
• The church is to be unified behind Christ
• The church of Christ will ultimately be victorious
• We are to reach out to others to join Christ's army

Sometimes I think the children understand this better than the adults do!

There are a number of amusing facts associated with this hymn.

The tune Baring-Gould used originally for his lyrics was a portion from Joseph Haydn's Symphony #15. However, the music we recognize for Onward, Christian Soldiers was written by one Arthur Sullivan. Most people don't recognize this "Sullivan" paired with "Arthur;" they recognize "Sullivan" paired with "Gilbert." As in, Gilbert and Sullivan. It is amusing to me that the composer of H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance also wrote the music for which these lyrics have become famous.

In 1986, it was proposed that Onward, Christian Soldiers be removed from the United Methodist Hymnal due to its being perceived as militaristic. Methodist churchgoers expressed their outrage and the hymn was retained.

This hymn was sung in 1941 at the conference between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill; it was chosen specifically by Churchill, who justified his choice on the radio later. It was also sung at the funeral of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Onward, Christian Soldiers

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
Forward into battle see His banners go!

Refrain

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.

At the sign of triumph Satan’s host doth flee;
On then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!
Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise;
Brothers lift your voices, loud your anthems raise.

Refrain

Like a mighty army moves the church of God;
Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod.
We are not divided, all one body we,
One in hope and doctrine, one in charity.

Refrain

What the saints established that I hold for true.
What the saints believèd, that I believe too.
Long as earth endureth, men the faith will hold,
Kingdoms, nations, empires, in destruction rolled.

Refrain

Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane,
But the church of Jesus constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never gainst that church prevail;
We have Christ’s own promise, and that cannot fail.

Refrain

Onward then, ye people, join our happy throng,
Blend with ours your voices in the triumph song.
Glory, laud and honor unto Christ the King,
This through countless ages men and angels sing.

Refrain

Past Entries in this Series:

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #8: How Great Thou Art
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #9: It Is Well With My Soul
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #10: All Creatures of Our God and King
Introduction

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #8: How Great Thou Art

This is probably one of the two or three most recognized hymns in the English language. It has been sung by humble Christians in small churches, and by people as famous as Elvis Presley (and for which he won not one, but two, Grammy awards). It has been identified as the favorite of presidents and even whole countries, and has been recorded no fewer than 1700 different times.

The lyrics originated with a man named Carl Gustav Boberg, a Swede, who wrote a poem (in Swedish) of nine stanzas in 1885. It was published the next year and married to a Swedish folk tune. It was eventually translated into several languages; the version most of know in English was translated by Stuart K. Hine, who also added two stanzas of his own (Stanzas 3 and 4, below), by 1949.

The song quickly became a popular hymn of glorifying God. It became enormously popular in the English-speaking world and was closely associated with the Billy Graham crusades and George Beverly Shea.

A lengthy Wikipedia posting on the hymn, its various translations (and re-translations), and its spread throughout the world, can be found here. It is also the source of the "commonly used English lyrics" copied below.

The first two verses, as well as most of the other original Swedish stanzas, speak eloquently of God's creation and how all of it points to, and glorifies, God. The third stanza reminds us that God sent His only Son to bleed and die for our salvation—a fact we cannot fully comprehend or appreciate. The fourth stanza helps us to look forward with anticipation to the day when those of us who have accepted His gift of salvation will be taken "home" to be with Him forever, where we will praise and glorify God forever.

If these words do not bring peace and comfort to the Christian's soul, I'm not sure what will.

How Great Thou Art

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder

Consider all the works Thy hands have made.

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Refrain:

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee;

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee:

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;

When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:

(Repeat Refrain.)

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin:

(Repeat Refrain.)

When Christ shall come with shouts of acclamation

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow in humble adoration,

And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

(Repeat Refrain.)

Past Entries in this Series:

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #9: It Is Well With My Soul
Top Ten Hymns Countdown #10: All Creatures of Our God and King
Introduction

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #9: It Is Well with My Soul

The words to this hymn were written by Horatio G. Spafford, and to my knowledge, this is the only hymn he ever wrote. Spafford was a Christian, and by occupation, a Chicago lawyer in the 1870's. He and his family were credited with helping many after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Three years later, his wife and four children were en route to France when their steamer collided with another boat and sank quickly. Only Mrs. Spafford was pulled alive from the waters. Once she reached land, she cabled her husband with the message "Saved alone."

Two years later, Spafford wrote this hymn in commemoration of the death of his children (He and his wife would have two more children after the tragedy). Having four children myself, I can only hope that God would allow me the peace to say, if I were to lose them all at once,

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

The Spaffords and their two young children moved to Jerusalem in 1881 and founded a group whose mission was to serve the poor. You can read more about Spafford here and here.

The words were put to music by Philip P. Bliss, who authored dozens of hymn lyrics himself, including such hymns as "Almost Persuaded," "Hold the Fort," and "Whosoever Will." Bliss died in a train wreck months later, when after surviving the initial crash following a bridge collapse, he reentered the train in an unsucessful attempt to save his wife.

These words are a great comfort to anyone who has suffered a loss and who wonders if God can give them peace thereafter. He can.

It Is Well with My Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought—
My sin—not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
“Even so”—it is well with my soul.

Refrain

Past Entries in this Series:

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #10: All Creatures of Our God and King
Introduction

Top Ten Hymns Countdown #10: All Creatures of Our God and King

The words to this great hymn were written by Francis of Assisi around 1225, shortly before his death. The tune, titled Lasst Uns Erfreuen, first appeared in a German book around 1623.

Despite the impressive age of this hymn, it was not found in an English hymn book until 1919, after it was translated by William Draper. Ralph Williams added harmony to the German tune in 1906. Therefore, in the English language, it is not very old at all.

The words, however, are timeless. All creatures...lift up your voice and with us sing! Alleluia! The poetic descriptions of universal elements (wind, water, fire), astronomical bodies (sun, moon, earth), and even death itself lifting their praise to God remind us that indeed, as the final verse of the last Psalm says:

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. (Ps. 150:6)

Furthermore, the praise of God is not limited to the animate: Even the stones are capable of praising God (Luke 19:40). The heavens themselves declare the glory of God (Ps. 19:1).

The words coupled with the soul-stirring tune make this a majestic, praising, reverential hymn. It reminds us of Psalm 69:34:

Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.

Take time to meditate upon the words below.

All Creatures of Our God and King

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

Refrain

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!

Refrain

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to hear,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
That givest man both warmth and light.

Refrain

Dear mother earth, who day by day
Unfoldest blessings on our way,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
The flowers and fruits that in thee grow,
Let them His glory also show.

Refrain

And all ye men of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on Him cast your care!

Refrain

And thou most kind and gentle Death,
Waiting to hush our latest breath,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou leadest home the child of God,
And Christ our Lord the way hath trod.

Refrain

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

Refrain