Hi friends, welcome to the first installment of Psalms, Hymns, & Spiritual Songs where we will explore worship songs and church music.
Hymns are songs of praise that have deep roots in religious traditions that evolved over the ages. From biblical hymns in the Old Testament to the diverse styles of Christian hymnody today, songs of worship serve as a powerful form of praise, teaching, and adoration to our LORD and God.
The term hymn comes from the Greek word hymnos, meaning song of praise.While the concept of praising deities or heroes through song is very ancient, Christian hymnody first developed significantly after the legalization of Christianity in the Roman Empire.
Today, we kick things off with All Creatures of Our God and King.
All Creatures of Our God and King is an English Christian hymn composed by William Henry Draper and based on a poem by St. Francis of Assisi. It was first published in a hymn book in 1919.
William Henry Draper, an English hymnodist and clergyman, is believed he composed nearly sixty hymns during his lifetime (December 19, 1855 – August 9 1933).
Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Francis of Assisi, born around 1181 (died October 3, 1226), was an Italian mystic, poet and Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Assisi felt inspired to lead a Christian life of poverty, so he became a beggar and an itinerant preacher. He became one of the most venerated figures in Christian history. Francis set out to imitate Christ and saw everyone as his brother and sister. He believed that nature reflected the essence of God and is said to have preached to birds and wolves as well as people.
©2024 Rainer Bantau
Francis of Assisi wrote the words of the hymn, that Draper translated later, in 1225 in his poem the Canticle of the Sun which is based on Psalm 148. Draper is believed to have written the hymn between 1899 and 1919. Today, it can be found in over 270 different hymn books.
Draper set the tune of All Creatures of Our God and King to an old, familiar German Easter hymn, Lasst uns erfreuen herzlich sehr (Let us rejoice most heartily) written by a Jesuit priest, Friedrich Spee, in 1625.
VERSE 1
All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou, burning sun with golden beam
Thou, silver moon with softer gleam
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!VERSE 2
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!VERSE 3
All the redeemed washed by His blood
Come and rejoice in His great love
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Christ has defeated every sin
Cast all your burdens now on Him
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!VERSE 4
He shall return in pow’r to reign
Heaven and earth will join to say
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Then who shall fall on bended knee?
All creatures of our God and King
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!Original words (v. 1-2) by St. Francis of Assisi, translated by William Henry Draper. Music, 16th Century German tune, adapted by Jonathan Baird and Ryan Baird. Add. words (v. 3-4) by Jonathan Baird and Ryan Baird © 2013 Sovereign Grace Worship/ASCAP (adm. by Integrity Music). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Churches. All rights reserved.
Psalm 148 NIV
1 Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.5 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for at his command they were created,
6 and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away.7 Praise the LORD from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
9 you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women,
old men and children.13 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
14 And he has raised up for his people a horn,
the praise of all his faithful servants,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.Praise the LORD.
There is a certain hush that settles over the early morning just before the sun breaks the horizon. In that stillness, if you listen closely, the earth itself begins to sing. The rustle of the trees, the cooing of mourning doves, the hum of unseen insects, and the slow, steady rhythm of your own breath all become a chorus of praise rising from creation.
The beloved hymn All Creatures of Our God and King draws directly from this core idea of worship. The song calls on every element of creation: sun and moon, wind and water, fire and earth, even death itself, to lift their voices in praise of the Creator.
Creation teaches us how to worship God.
In a world filled with noise and striving, All Creatures of Our God and King calls us back into harmony with holiness and in humility. It reminds us that to worship is to remember who we and whose we are. And if there was ever a time we needed to worship, it is now.
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Until my next post…
Be salty, stay lit.
Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™
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The Devotional Guy™ 
I’m excited for this new series! I had an encounter with a mourning dove in 2023 and this year we even have a flock of about 30 of them at my ranch. Every time I see or hear one it reminds me and I can pause a breathe! God is so very, very good!
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