All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 565)
1 All praise to thee, my God, this night
for all the blessings of the light.
Keep me, oh, keep me, King of kings,
beneath thine own almighty wings.
2 Forgive me, Lord, for thy dear Son,
the ill that I this day have done;
that with the world, myself, and thee,
I, ere I sleep, at peace may be.
3 Teach me to live, that I may dread
the grave as little as my bed.
Teach me to die, that so I may
rise glorious at the awesome day.
4 Oh, may my soul in thee repose,
and may sweet sleep mine eyelids close,
sleep that shall me more vig’rous make
to serve my God when I awake!
5 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise God, all creatures here below;
praise God above, ye heav’nly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Text: Thomas Ken; Music: Thomas Tallis; Public Domain
Devotion
I participated in a church choir that ended every practice with “All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night.” It was a fitting hymn to close our practices, as it reminds us of all that God does for us each day.
Written by Anglican bishop Thomas Ken; the hymn is a prayer that offers hope. It focuses on thanking God for the day’s blessings, seeking forgiveness through Christ, and finding peace in his protective wings before sleep. It is a reminder that a new day will bring new challenges and opportunities to love and serve God and one another. May these words bring meaning to our lives as we praise God for another day, sense God’s protection through the night, and allow us to wake up refreshed and ready to serve God in the new day.
Prayer
Gracious God, fill our lives with your peace. Grant us courage to meet each new day filled with your grace and hope. Amen.