My Father's World

1) This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world: I rest me in the thought
Of rock and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.

2) This is my Father's world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker's praise.
This is my Father's world: He shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere.

3) This is my Father's world, O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world; the battle is not done:
Jesus Who died shall be satisfied, 
And earth and Heav'n be one.

4) This is my Father's world, dreaming I see His face.
I ope my eyes, and in glad surprise cry, "The Lord is in this place."
This is my Father's world, from the shining courts above,
The Beloved One,His onlynSon,
Came - a pledge of deathless love.

5) This is my Father's world, should my heart be ever sad?
The lord is King - let the heavens ring. God reigns - let the earth be glad.
This is my Father's world. Now closer to Heaven bound,
For dear to God is the earth Christ tro.
No place but is holy ground.

6) This is my Father's world. I walk a desert lone.
In a blush ablaze to my wondering gaze God makes His glory known.
This is my Father's world, a wanderer I may roam.
Whate'er my lot, it matters not,
My heart is still at home.

This hymn was written by Matlbie Babcock (1858-1901). Babcock was a Presbyterian pastor who was renowned for his metaphors and overall oratory skills. From what I've read about him, he was pretty Renaissance man who probably could have done anything artistic, yet the Lord called him to shepherd His people and write gorgeous hymns. I needed a hymn of comfort today and this one came to mind. I'm not sure there is a greater comfort than proudly proclaiming that God is in control. This is His world.

On Stormy Banks

1) On Jordan's stormy banks I stand, and cast a wishful eye,
To Canaan's fair and happy land, where my possessions lie.

2) O'er all those wide, extended plains shines one eternal day;
There God, the Son, forever reigns, and scatters nights away.

Refrain: I am bound for the promised land, I am bound for the promised land;
O who will come and go with me? I am bound for the promised land.

3) No chilling winds nor pois'nous breath, can reach that healthful shore;
Sickness and sorrow; pain and death, are felt and feared no more.

Refrain:

4) When Shall I reach that happy place, and be forever blest? 
When shall I see my Father's face, and in His bosom rest?

This hymn was written by Samuel Stennet (1727-1795), who had never seen the Jordan. Apparently folks who had seen the Jordan wanted to change the name to "muddy banks" or "rugged banks." I suppose all of those work, but Stennet wasn't exactly going for geographical accuracy. Instead, he is referring to what the Jordan represents, which is the boundary of the promised land. For us, the promised land is God's eternal rest. Our life is in the wilderness, to extend the metaphor, and when God calls us home, we have a seat with Christ who "scatters night away."

I know I haven't been exactly doing a hymn a day. Lately it has been a few hymns a week. This week has been a difficult one, as the Lord called home a close friend of the family. I love and miss Uncle Al. It is comforting to know that he is with the Lord and the rest of the saints looking down, but comfort doesn't mean there is no sorrow. In the last stanza, Stennet asks, "When shall I see my Father's face, and in His bosom rest?" We never know when the Lord will call our journey to an end, but when we finish, He is there to greet us. That is our hope, that is our joy.

Before the Awful Throne

1) Before Jehovah's awful throne,
Ye nations, bow with sacred joy:
Know that the Lord is God alone,
He can create and he destroy.

2) His sovereign pow'r, without our aid,
Made us of dust, and formed us men;
And when like wandering sheep we strayed,
He brought us to his fold again.

3) We are his people, we his care,
Our souls, and all our mortal frame;
What lasting honors shall we rear,
Almighty Maker, to my name?

4) Wide as the world is thy command,
Vast as eternity thy love;
Firm as rock thy truth must stand,
When rolling years shall cease to move.

I'm not sure what drew me to this hymn today (sorry, for the delay between posts, I have some excuses, but none for not doing one yesterday, other than it was Sunday and I was tired and didn't think about doing one.) I think it has to do with the archaic use of "awful." As opposed to "fearful" or "terrifying," the hymn writer is using it to mean "full of awe." I say hymn writer, because John Wesley updated Isaac Watts' poem, so I don't know who wrote what.

This is a good hymn that celebrates God's complete sovereignty over all. It's hard for us to relinquish control of our lives. Especially to an all powerful being that we've never seen face to face. But as we come to know the Lord more and more, as the Spirit indwelling fills the crevices of our soul, we realize that we have never had any control. Without God, we are, at best, slaves to our passions and desires. Passions and desires can be topsy-turvy things, shifting back and forth. Going through life, we are untrained sea captains dropped into the middle of the ocean. How do we find the shore? Our Savior takes care of us. He takes the wheel. He created us, He created life. He is in control, always has, and always will be. So, as we sing "We are his people, we his care," we may take great comfort knowing that the God who Loves Us will lead us and keep us.