A song of praise
This is the fourth in a series of studies on praise and worship.
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits…
Psalm 103:1-2 (NIVUK)
Hymn writer Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847) was born in Scotland and educated at Trinity College, Dublin. Lyte entered the ministry of the Church of Ireland, and after a curacy in Ireland, he moved to England, where he married and held several more curacies, the last being in Brixham, Devon. Plagued by ill health, he made frequent foreign visits in search of sunshine and cures. He died at Nice in France and was buried in the British cemetery there. 1
Lyte’s constant sickness had a profound effect on his hymn writing, including one of his best-known hymns, Praise My Soul the King of Heaven, which was inspired by Psalm 103.
Verses 1-5 of the Psalm call us to praise God for the way he forgives, heals, shows us love and compassion, and restores our strength.
Verses 6-10 speak of God’s justice to the oppressed, his compassion, grace, slowness to anger, and love, whereby we are not punished for our transgressions.
Verses 11-14 show how far God removes our sins from us, and that he has empathy for us with love, compassion, and patience.
Verses 15-16 refer to our lives being like that of a flower or grass that flourishes, then fades and dies; something that Lyte with his ill health would have been acutely aware of. Yet this sobering thought is overcome by the promise in verses 17-18: those who honour the Lord will experience his love from everlasting to everlasting.
The Psalm concludes with assurance in verses 19-22: God has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all. And so, the psalmist ends as he began with ‘Praise the Lord, my soul.’ (vv. 1, 22).
Whether angels in heaven or human beings on earth, all are called to be as one in praise of the Lord. If the angelic hosts are to engage in a song of praise for who God is, and all he has done, how much more should we, who have experienced his mighty act of salvation in Jesus Christ, sing his praises?
Let us join together as a community of believers by having Lyte’s words always on our hearts and lips: ‘Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven…Praise Him, praise Him, alleluia! Praise with us the God of grace.’ 2
1 Henry Francis Lyte – Wikipedia
2 Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven > Lyrics | Henry F. Lyte (timelesstruths.org)
Prayer
Loving Father, we thank you for your many benefits, your never-ending grace, and unconditional love. May we sing your praises with our whole being, for you alone are worthy. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Study by Barry Robinson
Barry Robinson is a minister in Grace Communion International and Regional Pastor for Southern England, the Midlands, and Wales
Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA
Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm
Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church