Praise to The Lord
One of the 94 hymns we sing together at Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church on the Gold Coast. Browse the full hymnbook.
Lyrics
Verse 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;
Praise Him in glad adoration.
Verse 2
Praise to the Lord,
Who over all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings,
Yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
Verse 3
Praise to the Lord,
Who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
Surely His goodness and mercy
Shall daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty will do,
If with His love He befriend thee.
Verse 4
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 for aye we adore Him.
Behind the Hymn
"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" was written by Joachim Neander in 1680, making it one of the great hymns of the German Reformed tradition. Neander was a young German pastor and teacher in Düsseldorf who was converted through the preaching of Theodor Undereyk, a pioneer of German Reformed Pietism. He is considered the first major hymn writer of the German Reformed Church, composing about sixty hymns during his short life. Neander was known for wandering through the beautiful Düssel River valley near Düsseldorf for prayer and meditation — after his death, the valley was named "Neanderthal" (Neander's Valley) in his honor. Yes, this is the same valley where the famous Neanderthal skull was discovered in 1856. The hymn is based on Psalm 103 and Psalm 150 and is a joyful outpouring of praise for God's providence, protection, and sustaining grace. Neander died of tuberculosis at only thirty years old, but his hymn has been translated into virtually every language and remains one of the most majestic songs of praise in all of Christendom. The tune "Lobe den Herren" is one of the most recognizable in all of hymnody.