𝘋𝘢𝘺 𝟹 𝘰𝘧 “𝘏𝘺𝘮𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨” 𝘰𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴.𝘤𝘰𝘮 . . .
ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING
(St. Francis of Assisi, 1225)
𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘖𝘋 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨,
𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨,
𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘪𝘢! 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘪𝘢!
𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘮,
𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘮!
𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯:
𝘖 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘮! 𝘖 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘮!
𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘪𝘢! 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘪𝘢! 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘪𝘢!
𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨,
𝘠𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷’𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨,
𝘖 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘮! 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘪𝘢!
𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦,
𝘠𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦!
𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳,
𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳,
𝘖 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘮! 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘪𝘢!
𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵,
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵,
𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵,
𝘖 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘮! 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘪𝘢!
𝘠𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳,
𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘎𝘖𝘋 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦!
𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴,
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴,
𝘖 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘮! 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘪𝘢!
𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦, 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘯,
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘖𝘯𝘦!
One theme that really strikes me from this hymn is the thought that everything—living, yes, but even the elements (sun, moon, wind, clouds, water, and fire)—can bring praise to our Creator. Each of these understands the command to praise a holy and righteous GOD.
This brings to mind a Scripture passage that is wondrous and sheds light on the identity of our Creator GOD:
“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands” (Isaiah 55:12, ESV).
If nature itself is prompted to praise our GOD, where is my own voice in that song? Is my heart tender? Am I forgiving of others? What is my response to the Creator? Does my voice long to join in a song of praise, regardless of any sorrowful or painful circumstances?
As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year, may our hearts be captured with love and praise to our amazing GOD. He is so worthy of our song of praise. Can you blend in your own voice with all of creation to sing a song of worship to our Creator? He longs to hear our voices, and when we sing, He hears us and His heart is warmed by our praise.
