I do love hymns. Every morning in my quiet time I pull out my Baptist Hymnal and read through (sometimes singing) one or two hymns. “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” continually comes back to my heart as one of my all time favorite expressions of praise. The tune is majestic and fits the profundity of the message (written by Joachim Neander).
Hymns like these are what make listening to most contemporary music grow stale to me. This isn’t to say that I don’t like contemporary music, say like that produced by Sovereign Grace Ministries. I do. However, these songs simply don’t last in my heart or sound as strong in my congregation as a song like “Praise to the Lord.”
So, when I read this review of the hymn by Ligon Duncan at the First Presbyterian Jackson, MS, blog, it prompted me to make a comment. So, while it may be # 53 in the much loved Trinity Hymnal (which sits just under my Baptist Hymnal), it is # 14 in the BH.
I commend Dr. Duncan’s rehearsal of the text and history of this hymn. Since I choose the music for each of our Sunday A.M. services, it takes almost everything in me to not sing this one each Lord’s Day.
First Presbyterian Jackson MS: No. 53 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
