“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” ELW 858 and LBW 543
Devotion
Some hymns you sing and others you hear sung. In my memory, I hear the women’s voices harmonizing on “joining in glad adoration” and am ushered into the presence of the Almighty. I hear the basses and tenors boom “Surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you” and am energized to “ponder anew what the Almighty can do” – for me, through me.
I love to sing this song robustly, even with a 6/8 jazz tempo. I walk, almost waltz through work that God prospers and defends. Uplifting wings of the Spirit sustain me as easily as the notes in the second phrase sweep down and then up again.
Then a kind of trumpet calls out: “Let all who hear,” “Have you not seen,” “Ponder anew,” “Let the amen, sound from his people again”! On the last verse, the third and fourth phrases are drawn out for emphasis befitting “forever adore him.”
Prayer
Praise to you, Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation. Waltz me through this week, harmonize my work with others, uplift my spirit when I am low, and call me to ponder anew, so that I may praise and adore you. Amen.