© 2023 Songs From Wellhouse; Waiting Room Music; Be Essential Songs; bryanfowlersongs
| All creatures of our God and King, Lift up your voice and with us sing, “O praise Him, O praise Him.” Thou burning sun with golden beam, Thou silver moon with softer gleam, “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 morn’ in praise rejoice, Ye lights of evening find a voice, “O praise Him, O praise Him; | Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.” Every mountain, sing high; Every valley, sing low; And everything in between, sing the harmony. 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. O praise Him, O praise Him; Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.” |
First published in a 1919 hymnal, “All Creatures Of Our God And King” was written by William Henry Draper, who based the hymn on St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle Of The Sun,” a poem written by St. Francis in 1225. The lyric echoes the universal call to worship in Psalm 148: “Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light!…Praise the Lord from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths; Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind…Mountains and all hills; Fruitful trees and all cedars; Beasts and all cattle; creeping things and flying fowl” (Ps 148:3, 7–10 NKJV).
What a wonderful call, for all creation to praise the Lord! The hymn opens with “All creatures of our God and King lift up your voice and with us sing ‘O praise Him, O praise Him.’” And the added words of Shane Barnard, Ross Fishburn, and Bryan Fowler sum up the call: “Every mountain, sing high; every valley, sing low; and everything in between, sing the harmony.”
All creation sings of the glorious wonder of our God! David declares in Psalm 19:1 (CSB): “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.” Likewise, Paul declares that God’s “invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made…” (Rom 1:20 CSB). The creation you encounter every day–the sun’s warmth, the pine tree’s green, the bird’s hymn, the newborn’s cry–it points us to a greater reality, a majestic and marvelous Creator who is worthy of our worship.
O God, sole Creator of the universe, we look everywhere and see Your handiwork. From the dirt beneath our feet to the heavens above our heads, help us to see Your work as a reminder to worship You. Amen.