Musical Notes

Hello OCBC family,
 “For I proclaim the name of the Lord:
Ascribe greatness to our God.” Deuteronomy 32:3

This short passage of the Bible was the inspiration for a powerful hymn, “Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above.” The author of this hymn was Johann J. Schutz, born in Germany on Sept. 7, 1640. We don’t know too much about his childhood, but he went to school and became a lawyer. Therefore, he became very well known for his legal expertise and his piety. He was a faithful Lutheran. This hymn is part of a short collection that he created, with five hymns in total, but three were translated into English.

“Sing praise to God who reigns above,
The God of all creation.
The God of pow'r, the God of love,
The God of our salvation;
With healing balm my soul He fills,
And ev'ry faithless murmur stills:
To God all praise and glory!”

You can see that in the very first stanza, Schutz has an explosion of praises to God as the Creator and to whom salvation belongs.

The third stanza is a powerful testimony telling those who can hear or sing, that the Lord is always near when we are in trouble. This verse comforted me four years ago when I lost my mother.

“The Lord is never far away,
But, thro' all grief distressing,
An ever-present help and stay,
Our peace and joy and blessing;
As with a mother's tender hand
He leads His own, His chosen band:
To God all praise and glory!”

The melody is a German tune called, MIT FREUDEN ZART, and was published in 1566 in the Bohemian Brethren hymnal.

Schutz finished this hymn with an exhortation to himself (and to us) to praise God with all his being, heart, soul, and body.

“Thus all my toilsome way along
I sing aloud His praises,
That all may hear the grateful song
My voice unwearied raises;
Be joyful in the Lord, my heart!
Both soul and body bear your part:
To God all praise and glory!”

Please, use this hymn as part of your quiet time, and say with Schutz, “Gebt unserm Gott die Ehre!” (To God all praise and glory).
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In His service,
Israel