Sing Praise to God, the Highest Good (ELW 871)
1 Sing praise to God, the highest good,
The author of creation.
The God of love who understood
Our need for His salvation.
With healing balm our souls He fills
And ev’ry faithless murmur stills:
To God all praise and glory!
2 What God’s almighty pow’r has made,
In mercy He is keeping.
By morning glow or evening shade
His eye is never sleeping.
Within the kingdom of His might
All things are just and good and right:
To God all praise and glory!
3 We sought the Lord in our distress;
O God, in mercy hear us.
Our Savior saw our helplessness
And came with peace to cheer us.
For this we thank and praise the Lord,
Who is by one and all adored:
To God all praise and glory!
4 He never shall forsake His flock,
His chosen generation;
He is their refuge and their rock,
Their peace and their salvation.
As with a mother’s tender hand,
He leads His own, His chosen band:
To God all praise and glory!
5 All who confess Christ’s holy name,
Give God the praise and glory.
Let all who know His pow’r proclaim
Aloud the wondrous story.
Cast ev’ry idol from its throne,
For God is God, and He alone:
To God all praise and glory!
Devotion
This old hymn touches on all the important themes expressed in this week’s readings: our need for healing, the gift of salvation, the good news of Jesus, and our gratitude to God. Whether it was Naaman or the Samaritan leper, in their cleansing they came face to face with the living Lord. Overcome with joy, they returned to the source of their healing, gave thanks, and began to live in a new relationship with God. They were transformed in body and soul.
As this hymn suggests, God deserves all praise and glory, our loyalty, and our love. The third stanza sums it up quite nicely: “We sought the Lord in our distress; O God, in mercy hear us. Our Savior saw our helplessness and came with peace to cheer us. For this we thank and praise the Lord, who is by one and all adored.”
Prayer
Thank you, God of love, mercy, and healing. May we ever praise and adore you—in all we do and in all we are. Amen.