What better way to start the year than with a hymn of praise? The text, based on Psalm 136, was written by Isaac Watts (1674-1748). It is thought to be the best of his three paraphrases of the Psalm published in his 1719 work The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament. Many tunes have been used with it, notably one (Warrington) by Ralph Harrison that in our books is most commonly associated with Henry F. Lyte’s “Sweet Is the Solemn Voice That Calls.” Another one that fits well with it was composed by Herbert Sidney Oakeley, who was born on July 22, 1830, at Ealing in Middlesex, near London, England, the son of a Anglican minister named Herbert Oakeley¹.

Give to our God immortal praise;
mercy and truth are all his ways:
wonders of grace to God belong;
repeat his mercies in your song.

Give to the Lord of lords renown;
the King of kings with glory crown:
his mercies ever shall endure,
when lords and kings are known no more.

He built the earth, he spread the sky,
and fixed the starry lights on high:
wonders of grace to God belong;
repeat his mercies in your song.

He fills the sun with morning light;
he bids the moon direct the night:
his mercies ever shall endure,
when suns and moons shall shine no more.

He sent his Son with pow’r to save
from guilt and darkness and the grave:
wonders of grace to God belong;
repeat his mercies in your song.

Through this vain world he guides our feet,
and leads us to his heav’nly seat:
his mercies ever shall endure,
when this vain world shall be no more.

¹https://hymnstudiesblog.wordpress.com/2009/09/25/quotgive-to-our-god-immortal-praisequot/