Sing Praise to the Lord - Part VII

“Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed… You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it…You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.” ~ Psalm 65:1, 9-13

Well, the weather has finally turned and autumn appears to be here in all its glorious splendor. The leaves reached peak color and have begun their descent to the earth. Farmers are bringing in the harvest, and the smell of crackling fires fills neighborhoods all around. When was the last time you considered how each new season, indeed each aspect of God’s magnificent creation, ought to draw your further up and further in to a life a grateful praise to the God who gives “each perfect gift”?

Our Hymn of Praise this Lord’s Day is “For the Beauty of the Earth” (116), which serves as a potent reminder that every element of God’s world gives us cause for praise. Tradition tells us that this hymn was written while its author Folliott S. Pierpoint (1835-1917) was walking along the Avon River near his hometown of Bath, England. Pierpoint was only twenty-nine years old when he penned these words, but already his heart was overflowing with gratefulness to God. And through these lyrics he encourages us to enumerate our praises as we observe the beauty of the earth.

In the first verse we are reminded that from our birth the love of God is on display in earth and sky, which “over and around us lies.” How comforting to know we are surrounded by God’s love and glory. Verse two tells us that “each hour of the day and of the night” is a reminder to be grateful to God for His sovereignty over time. Verse three narrows the focus to our own bodies. Consider how the “mystic harmony” of all our senses enables us to know and worship God. How fearfully and wonderfully we are made!

Verse four helpfully encourages us to be grateful for those relationships we are most likely to take for granted: parent, sibling, child. What a pity that we often neglect to give thanks for the ones closest to us. Remarkably, we are encouraged to be thankful even for those friends and family who are already in the presence of the Lord! Doesn’t it bring joy to know that our loved ones in Christ already enjoy the full bounty of His blessings? Lastly, take note of the chorus. It’s not accidental that none of the verses are complete sentences. Rather, they require the chorus to complete them. In other words, we cannot simply notice these wonderful gifts “to our race so freely giv’n.” Instead, grateful hearts respond to these gifts by “rais[ing]… hymns of grateful praise.”

This Lord’s Day, remember to count your blessings — from creation to family, even your own senses — and to respond to them with grateful praise. And never forget God’s greatest gift: His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we come to worship.

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Associate Pastor