Psalm 104 was the theological backdrop for the hymn Sir Robert Grant (1779-1838) wrote: “O Worship the King.” Grant, a lawyer by training, a member of the British Parliament, and ultimately the Governor of Bombay, India, was captivated by the text of Psalm 104 as it appeared in an early psalter. In 1833 he penned the words of this hymn, which focusses on God as Creator, then on God as compassionate to His creation. The final stanza in the original features the worship that all of God’s creation will offer Him throughout eternity. “O Worship the King.”
1. O worship the King all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.
2. O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, Whose canopy space.
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
and dark is His path on the wings of the storm.
3. Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air; it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills; it descends to the plain;
and sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.
4. Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!