Praise The Lord

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Psalm 150:6

Many Christians have sung Charles Wesley’s famous hymn “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.” But did you know there is an earlier German hymn entitled “O That I Had a Thousand Voices”? It was written by Pastor Johann Mentzer, who labored in the seventeenth century in the little village of Kemnitz in eastern Germany.

Pastor Mentzer was known for his attitude of praise and thanksgiving, and he encouraged his flock to praise the Lord whatever the circumstances. One night as he returned home from a nearby village, Mentzer saw flames shooting into the sky. Hastening to the scene, he found his home—the church parsonage—engulfed. Later, as he inspected the smoldering ruins, someone tapped him on the shoulder. “So, Pastor,” said the man, “are you still in the mood for praise and thanksgiving?”

Pastor Mentzer was still in the mood for praise and thanksgiving, and out of that experience he wrote his hymn wishing for a thousand voices with which to praise the Lord.

We praise the Lord because it’s a great therapy for the soul, but we praise Him most of all because He is worthy of praise. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!