I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. (Psalm 69:30)
Upon hearing this well-known hymn of thanksgiving and praise, one would never realize that it was forged during tragic times. From some of the most severe human hardships imaginable during the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) came this stately hymn, often called the national “Te Deum” of Germany, having been sung on many occasions of national rejoicing. Germany is a home of Protestant church music, and no hymn, with the exception of Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” has been used more widely in German churches than this hymn.
The majestic tune was written by one of Germany’s finest and most prolific composers, Johan Cruger, whose hymnal, Praxix Pietatis Melica, published in 1644, was the outstanding German hymnal of the seventeenth century. This tune first appeared in the 1647 edition of that publication. The text was written by Martin Rinkart, a pastor from Eilenburg, Germany. The walled city of Eilenburg became the refuge for political and military fugitives, but the result was overcrowding, deadly pestilence and famine. Armies overran the city three times. Pastor Rinkart did everything he could to show the love of Christ to the refugees who kept flooding through the city walls. His home was a shelter for those suffering, even though he was often hard-pressed to provide for his own family. During the height of a severe plague in 1637, Rinkart was the only surviving pastor in Eilenburg, conducting as many as 50 funerals in a day. He performed more than 4,000 funerals in that year, including that of his own wife.
At last, in 1637 only Martin Rinkart, of all the Christian leaders, was left. It was a time of great despair and discouragement, but the Germans looked to Pastor Rinkart as their leader. People were amazed that he never fell ill even while ministering to so many sick families and refugees. God was protecting him for such a time, because when the Swedes gathered outside the city gates demanding a huge ransom, Rinkart was the only one who rose to the occasion. He left the safety of the city walls to walk outside and negotiate with the enemy. And he did it with such courage and faith that there was soon a conclusion to the hostilities, and the period of suffering subsided. Out of that experience, and for the survivors of Eilenburg, this hymn was written. It's incredible that no hint of “woe is me” can be found in the words; only grace and gratitude.
Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things hath done, in whom His world rejoices;
Who from our mother’s arms hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed,
And free us from all ills in this world and the next.
All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given,
The Son and Him who reigns with them in highest heaven –
The one eternal God whom earth and heav’n adore –
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.