“All Praise to Him”
The Father has never been without His Son, or without His Holy Spirit. For They are all three co-eternal and co-essential. There is neither first nor last; for They are all three one, in truth, in power, in goodness, and in mercy. – Belgic Confession excerpt (Article 8)
It is so important for us to know and to understand the subject of God as the ‘Trinity’. It is crucial for us to have a right understanding of who God is, and how this affects every aspect of the life of a believer. The study and meditating on the Triune God is a lifelong pursuit, but the depth of riches that await are immeasurable.
As Spurgeon once said:
The proper study of God’s elect is God; the proper study of a Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the points, and the existence of the Great God whom he calls Father. – The Immutability of God, A sermon by Charles H. Spurgeon
To understand the Trinity is to understand the true nature and character of our God. To understand Him as He reveals himself to us is to understand how to worship Him rightly. Get this wrong, and we get all of Christianity wrong.
For the whole Christian life, from the outset, is lived in the light of the fact that we have been baptized ‘in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ To be a Christian is, first and foremost, to belong to the triune God and to be named for Him…To become a Christian believer is to be brought into a reality far grander than anything we could ever have imagined. It means communion with the triune God. – Sinclair Ferguson, The Trinitarian Devotion of John Owen, Pgs. 27-28
We are most grateful for hymn writers that compose music and lyrics to help us remember and rehearse the deep truths of the Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One such hymn is All Praise to Him by Matt Merker and Bob Kauflin, with original words by Horatius Bonar. Taken from Bonar’s All Praise to Him Who Built the Hills, this obscure hymn was rewritten with a new tune and lyrics that describe the Triune nature of God and His distinct roles in the work of salvation in the life of every believer.
Verse 1 – The Father
God is described as the God of light who created and reigns sovereignly over all, yet he tenderly ‘bends to hear our every prayer’. (Genesis 1:1-25; Psalm 98:7-9; Psalm 113:4-9; Isaiah 40:25-31)
Verse 2 – The Son
Christ the Son, leaves His glorious throne to die for our sins – the all sufficient sacrifice. (Isaiah 53:4-6; Mark 10:45; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2)
Verse 3 – The Spirit
We have been given the word of truth by the power of the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts. We rejoice in this promise. (Romans 5:3-5; Romans 15:13; Ephesians 1:3-14 ; 1 Thessalonians 1:5)
In the final stanza, we respond with a doxology of praise to the Triune God – Father, Son, and Spirit – ‘we raise with loving hearts our song of praise’!
All praise to Him, the God of light,
Who formed the mountains by His might.
All praise to Him who names the stars,
that sing His fame in skies afar.
All praise to Him who reigns in love,
Who guides the galaxies above,
yet bends to hear our every prayer,
with sovereign power and tender care.
All praise to Him Whose love is seen
in Christ the Son, the servant King,
Who left behind His glorious throne
to pay the ransom for His own.
All praise to Him Who humbly came
to bear our sorrow, sin, and shame,
Who lived to die, Who died to rise,
the all sufficient sacrifice.
All praise to Him whose power imparts
the love of God within our hearts.
The Spirit of all truth and peace,
the fount of joy and holiness.
To Father, Son, and Spirit now
our souls we lift, our wills we bow.
To You, the Triune God, we raise
with loving hearts our song of praise.
Based on the hymn, “All Praise to Him Who Built the Hills” by Horatius Bonar (1808-1889). Music and additional words: Matt Merker & Bob Kauflin © 2017 Sovereign Grace Praise