The Duty of Praise

The following Psalm paraphrase exults in the duty of praising the Lord. We see his wonders, his works, and his blessings, all of which incite us to praise. The upright Lord is our Rock, and in him we can fully trust.

1. How good it is to thank the Lord,
And praise to Thee, Most High, accord,
To show Thy love with morning light,
And tell Thy faithfulness each night;
Yea, good it is Thy praise to sing,
And all our sweetest music bring.

2. O Lord, with joy my heart expands
Before the wonders of Thy hands;
Great works, Jehovah, Thou has wrought,
Exceeding deep Thy ev’ry thought;
A foolish man knows not their worth,
Nor he whose mind is of the earth.

3. When as the grass the wicked grow,
When sinners flourish here below,
Then is there endless ruin nigh,
But Thou, O Lord, are throned on high;
Thy foes shall fall before Thy might,
The wicked shall be put to flight.

4. Thou, Lord, has high exalted me
With royal strength and dignity;
With Thy anointing I am blest
Thy grace and favor on me rest;
I thus exult o’er all my foes,
O’er all that would my cause oppose. 

5. The righteous man shall flourish well,
And in the house of God shall dwell;
He shall be like a goodly tree,
And all his life shall fruitful be;
For righteous is the Lord and just,
He is my Rock, in him I trust.

“The Duty of Praise” is metered in 6 lines of 8s. and based on Psalm 92. It is paired with the tune Christine by Ernest R. Kroeger as No. 250 in The Psalter: with Responsive Readings (Pittsburgh, PA: The United Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1912).