May 3
ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING
Francis of Assisi, 1182–1226
English Translation by William Draper, 1855–1933
All Thy works shall praise Thee, O Lord; and Thy saints shall bless Thee. They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom, and talk of Thy power. (Psalm 145:10, 11)
All the magnificent wonders of nature reveal the majesty of God and glorify Him. From the grateful heart of a devoted Italian monk in the year of 1225 came this beautiful message. As a great lover of nature, Saint Francis saw the hand of God in all creation, and he urged men to respond with expressions of praise and alleluia.
Giovanni Bernardone, the real name of Saint Francis, demonstrated through his own life all the tender, humble, forgiving spirit and absolute trust in God that his hymn urges others to have. At the age of 25 Bernardone left an indulgent life as a soldier, renounced his inherited wealth, and determined to live meagerly and to imitate the selfless life of Christ.
Throughout his life Saint Francis appreciated the importance of church music and encouraged singing in his monastery. He wrote more than 60 hymns for this purpose. The beautiful expressions of praise in “All Creatures of Our God and King” have endured throughout the centuries. A prayer written by Saint Francis has also become familiar and well-loved:
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon, Where there is discord, unity.
Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is error, truth.
Where there is despair, hope. Where there is sadness, joy.
Where there is darkness, light.
For it is in giving, that we receive. It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned.
It is in dying, that we are born to eternal life.
* * * *
All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing Alleluia, Alleluia! 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 heav’n along, O praise Him! Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice; ye lights of evening, find a voice: O praise Him, O praise Him! Alleluia, Alleluia! Alleluia!
Dear mother earth, who day by day unfoldest blessings on our way, O praise Him! Alleluia! The flow’rs and fruits that in thee grow, let them His glory also show; O praise Him, O praise Him! Alleluia, Alleluia! Alleluia!
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!
For Today: Psalm 145; Jeremiah 32:17–20; Romans 11:36; Revelation 14:7
Praise God continually for His many blessings and for the wonders of His creation. Sing as you go— p 139
Kenneth W. Osbeck, Amazing Grace : 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1990). 138-39.
Comments