© 2016 Phil Wickham Music; Seems Like Music; Sing My Songs
| Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him above, you heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen, Amen, Amen. God, we praise You, God, we praise You. | Praise God for all that He has done. Praise Him, for He has overcome. The grave is beaten, love has won. Praise God our Savior, Christ the Son. Amen, Amen, Amen. Amen, Amen, Amen. We praise You, we praise You. |
Thomas Ken’s “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow,” set to the tune of Louis Bourgeois’ “Old 100th” has infiltrated the hearts and minds of many Christians for centuries. An explicit call to praise the Triune God, the text makes us recall all the blessings that God has given us. All blessings flow from God to us. Paul asks in 1 Corinthians 4:7, “What do you have that you didn’t receive?” (CSB). Of course, nothing we have came from our own achievements or merit. God, in His infinite grace and mercy, has given us all that we have. Praise Him!
Not only has God given us all that we need physically, but also all that we need spiritually. Look at the words that Phil Wickham adds to the beloved hymn: “Praise God for all that He has done, praise Him for He has overcome. The grave is beaten, love has won!” We are reminded that God became an incarnational being, took on time and space, and walked among man. We are reminded of the gospel: that because of our sin and fallen nature, God took on flesh and bone, lived a perfect life, and became the sacrificial payment that only He could pay through His death on the cross of Calvary. But three days later, the grave was beaten! Our Lord overcame death! Praise God the Savior, the Christ!
The words sung in this hymn are solidified by the congregational “Amen! God we praise You!” The text, intentionally brief, gives the congregation a common doxology to sing– a liturgical praise to God. This unifying text is then given a period, a finishing declaration of agreement, in the final Amen.
Let these words be a prayer of thanksgiving to God for both the physical and spiritual blessings He provides for us:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him, all creatures here below!
Praise Him above, you heavenly host!
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
Amen.