My Soul Now Bless Your Maker
My soul now bless your Maker
The hymn emphasizes God's merciful nature and forgiving disposition, central to Lutheran understanding of the Gospel. It celebrates the believer's assurance of divine grace and the transformative power of God's redemptive work in Christ.
History & Background
Cornelius Becker's metrical paraphrase of Psalm 103 was published in his Psalter (1550) and became a standard Lutheran hymnic treatment of this psalm. The English translation draws from various 19th-century Lutheran sources adapted for congregational use.
Hymnal Appearances
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 519
- Lutheran Service Book — 820
- Lutheran Worship — 453
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 34
- Voices Together — 51
Translation
Bulletin Note
Composed by Cornelius Becker (1550), this German hymn tradition captures the Reformation's joy in God's mercy. Its steady meter and affirmative melody express the Lutheran conviction that grace alone transforms the guilty soul into a blessing giver.
Preaching Connection
This hymn enacts the Law-Gospel movement: it calls the soul to honest acknowledgment of unworthiness, then swells into exultant proclamation of God's abundant mercy, making it a perfect musical echo of justification by grace through faith.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Law to Gospel: human forgetfulness and sin-sickness to divine mercy, justice, and redemptive praise
Themes
God's mercy and forgiveness Praise and thanksgiving Divine faithfulness Blessing and redemption