Beyond the Hymnal: All Creatures

“Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and maidens together, old men and children! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; His majesty is above earth and heaven.” (Psalm 148: 11-13, ESV)

Did you know the hymn “All Creatures of our God and King” is turning 800 years old? Okay, maybe not the hymn itself, but the poem the hymn was adapted from is.

The poem, written by Francis of Assisi in the final years of his life, was written in the year 1225. Francis had a long ministry of helping the poor, even going so far as to say he was married to “Lady Poverty” before he devoted his life to the Catholic church. 

In the decline of his life, Francis started to go blind. It was as his sight waned that he penned “Canticle of the Sun,” which is a poem inspired both by Psalm 148 and by the beauty of nature that he realized was becoming a vanishing privilege for him. The poem both praises nature created by God and urges that nature to worship God in return. 

In Francis’ last days, his blindness was exasperated by an inability to endure sunlight, so a nun named Sister Clara had a reed hut built for Francis in the convent garden for him to live in. There are accounts that from that reed hut, Francis would preach to the birds, urging them to praise the Lord and those walking by could hear him singing melodies of praise. 

“Canticle of the Sun” would be paraphrased almost 700 years later by William Henry Draper and then set to music by Ralph Vaughan Williams. 

But what can we learn from the beloved hymn “All Creatures of our God and King?” 

We can see the gratitude and the peace of relying on the Lord, a thankfulness and praise that wells in nature itself and one that we struggle at times to replicate within our fragile humanity. 

“All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing O praise Him! Alleluia!”

All creatures. From the sun and the moon, to the sky and the sea, all beasts and nature effortlessly lavish their praise onto the Creator of it all. 

I think of all the beautiful places I’ve seen in my life: the sunrise over the African savannah, water tumbling over Niagara falls with the speed of a freight train, crystal blue beaches in the Caribbean, and mighty mountain ranges of the Pacific Northwest. 

I think of all the creatures I’ve come in contact with: the brilliant plumage of a painted bunting, the silky, soft fur of a lemur, the untamed power of a lion walking past our safari truck so close I could touch him, and the goofy joy of my dog doing zoomies in the backyard. 

All creatures. All creation. Every one of them, from the mighty and powerful predator to the graceful and beautiful sonbird praises the Lord. Every breathtaking scene on earth lifts up it’s proverbial voice to give Him endless Alleluias. 

And amongst our fallen humanity? Kings have turned to Him in worship. Princes bow before Him and cry out. Nations of people reverently praise Him from children to white-haired elders. His name is above all and over all. His glory is in all and through all. His sacrifice on the cross was final and irrevocable. His majesty is seen over and over again.

For simple men like Francis of Assisi, it was apparent even when his sight left him. It seems that all the more, he was reminded to give God the praise He was due.

May we be like that today. May we be ever present to remember to praise Him. May we see Him in everything we do and everyone we speak to. If there is not one in all of creation who is exempt from His glory and who does not have Him to thank for the breath in their lungs and the beat in their heart, then we should all join in the chorus and symphony to worship our God and King. 

Psalm 148 goes on to say, “Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you shining stars. Praise Him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies… Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lighning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of earth and all nations…” 

Yes, even the snow you grumble to shovel and the squirrels you loathe to see eating in your gardens praise the Lord! Even the mosquitoes that bite you and the rain on your parade worships Him. Even those things you find annoying or irrelevant in creation find ways to give Him the glory He is due.

Do you?

There should be not one excuse that we should hold back our adoration towards Him. And what’s more, that adoration for Him should make others stop and pause. It should serve as a loud and apparent reminder to others to turn to Him and adore Him as well. 

I remember as a child on playdates, there were certain Christian houses I would go to where the moms would suddenly burst out in song. It could be a hymn or a contemporary Christian song, but when she started to sing, the whole house– children, pets, and probably even houseplants– were reminded of the goodness of the Lord and for even just a moment, the household entered into worship.

Oh, that we would live like that. That we wouldn’t be afraid to worship our King with abandon and without care of who is listening. May we be a people that fill our homes with praise and songs to our God and King. May we be Christians that adore Him in the grocery store, on our morning walks, in our daily commute, or laboring over the stove to put supper on the table. May we be people that draw others to worship through our own praises to the Lord. 

Today, wherever you might be when you come across this little devotion, lift up your voice and with us sing: Oh, praise Him! Alleluia!