Children of the Heavenly Father

I had originally planned on posting something else I had prepared.  Until today happened.  After today’s encounters with people who are genuinely suffering in horrific and depressing ways, the topic I’d prepared suddenly seemed trivial, insignificant, and rather irrelevant.  Petty “first-world problems” when people here and elsewhere are facing life and death choices, persecution, trauma of a deeply scarring nature, and death itself.

So, I can take a Holy Spirit hint and return to the hymns for more help in Overcoming.

Shortly before writ­ing this hymn (to the Swedish melody known as Tryggare kan ingen vara), Karolina San­dell-Berg and her fa­ther Jonas Sandell were on a boat trip across Lake Vättern, when he fell over­board, drowning while she watched.  By way of overcoming deep sorrow, Lina Sandell (age 26) penned the words to Children of the Heavenly Father.  Enjoy this link to hear it sung by the Bethany College choir.

 

 

Children of the heav’nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in Heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish;
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.

Lo, their very hairs He numbers,
And no daily care encumbers
Them that share His ev’ry blessing
And His help in woes distressing.

Praise the Lord in joyful numbers:
Your Protector never slumbers.
At the will of your Defender
Ev’ry foeman must surrender.