This is My Father’s World (ELW 824)
1 This is my Father’s world,
and to my list’ning 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 rocks 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 ev’rywhere.
3 This is my Father’s world;
oh, let me not forget
that, though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world;
why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is king, let the heaven ring;
God reigns, let the earth be glad!
Devotion
When I was a youngster, I spent many summers with my parents at our rustic cabin on Lake Vermilion in northern Minnesota. After we got electricity, on Sunday mornings we could tune it to a brief church service from Minneapolis, and feel like we were in our own little cathedral in the woods. I’ve never forgotten the opening hymn that was sung by choir each week, “This is My Father’s World.”
The connection between God and all the wonders around me was significant for me. We had a God who appreciated beauty, and in fact had made it all! It was God’s world.
Later as I struggled with many things that were happening in the world, it was comforting to recall the words of the hymn, “though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.” Even when the wrong seems to be winning, God’s love remains visible. Especially when we can see it there on the cross, we trust that God’s promises are secure. God will not abandon us. Let the earth be glad!
Prayer
Almighty God, we thank you for the beauty of your creation, and we pray that we might be good stewards of all you have made. You love the whole world, and we are in your hands. We pray through your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.