Praise To The Lord

Rich Mullins' “Praise To The Lord” is an invitation for the listener to join in singing. It starts with a shout, “Come on everybody, stand up and sing one more hallelujah,” and urges everyone to give their praise to the Lord. Mullins says he could never tell how much good it will do just to sing.

The verses are about keeping the song alive. Life goes on and so must the song, he says, and listeners must sing again the song born in their souls when they first gave their hearts to Christ. He adds that someone in the crowd is dying to hear it, and that people who once lived without it need to be told the truth, which is a light on their way. The second half of the song sets the words of a psalm to a steady groove: from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. He is exalted over all nations, and no one is like the Lord our God, who sits enthroned on high yet stoops to look at the earth and sky. The mood is joyful, with a sing-along rhythm and background voices answering each line. It suits a congregation ready to move from listening to joining in, and it reminds singers that their praise also speaks to the people around them.

Praise from sunrise to sunset is Psalm 113:3-5. Singing a new song is Psalm 96:1, and praising the name of the Lord is Psalm 135:1.