O Lord Of Heaven And Earth And Sea
O Lord of Heaven and Earth and Sea
O Lord of heaven and earth and sea,
To Thee all praise and glory be!
How shall we show our love to Thee,
Who givest all?
The golden sunshine, vernal air,
Sweet flowers, and fruit Thy love declare;
When harvests ripen, Thou art there,
Who givest all.
For peaceful homes and healthful days,
For all the blessings earth displays,
We owe Thee thankfulness and praise,
Who givest all.
For souls redeemed, for sins forgiven,
For means of grace and hopes of heaven:
What can to Thee, O Lord, be given,
Who givest all?
To Thee, from whom we all derive
Our life, our gifts, our power to give:
O may we ever with Thee live,
Who givest all!
THIS WAS ORIGINALLY an offertory hymn. Two extra stanzas, which are now usually omitted, made it very clear that since God has given us so much, putting some money in the offering plate is the least we can do. Without that specific emphasis, however, this becomes an excellent Thanksgiving hymn.
It begins by acknowledging God’s gifts in Creation. He has given us a beautiful world to enjoy and beautiful vegetation for nourishment and pleasure. God also gives us peace and health, which we enjoy and praise Him for. But in the fourth stanza, Wordsworth remembers God’s greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ, who brought us redemption and forgiveness. And when it comes down to it, we derive “all” from Him—even our ability to give back to Him.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south.
Psalm 107:1-3
From the book
