This is My Father’s World
As he left for his daily walks, Rev. Maltbie D. Babcock would say "I'm off to see my Father's world!" After his tragic death, his wife published a poem he has written with these words. Today I tell the story, and then take a look at ALL 16 VERSES! This will surely bless you as you consider his powerful words.
Welcome back to Friday Classic Hymns. A few weeks ago was Ascension Day, and as I was looking for songs about God ruling the world, Jesus on the throne, and everything under His authority, this one slipped my mind. It was only a few days later when I was looking for another Friday classic that I came across this one and thought, "Oh, I should have used this on Ascension Day!" As we'll see, it talks a lot about the world being God's and about Him being on the throne.
I can't say that I've ever sung this song in church. Now that I think about it, we never did sing it. I heard it at some point on a CD or something, so I kind of knew the melody when I came to learn it this week. It was very familiar, and I picked it up quite quickly. I wonder if you know it—do you know This Is My Father's World?
It's a beautiful song, and as I've got to know it in its entirety—it's based on a very long poem—I've come to really appreciate it. Please share your thoughts and comments on the song below. If you have some memory attached to the song or if something in it really resonates with you, please share that below. It's great to share in your joy and memories.
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Let's begin by looking at the history of This Is My Father's World.
The Story Behind "This Is My Father's World"
This hymn comes from a 16-verse poem written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock—how's that for a name! He was born in New York and became a very well-respected and loved Presbyterian clergyman. Some of the words I've read about him are quite hilarious. In Kenneth Osbeck's book 101 Hymn Stories, he says, "It has been said that a manlier man never stood in a Christian pulpit. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with muscles of iron—a superb specimen of physical manhood."
Then he tells a story about how he was this big, strong man who would be playful with the young men in the congregation, playing sport with them. But he didn't take nonsense from them. At one point, one of the guys started to use a bunch of bad language and get a bit rough, so Babcock apparently grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and the seat of his trousers and threw him over the wall! Oh my gosh, can you imagine?
It's also said that he was a great preacher—people came to listen to him preach because he was very descriptive in the way that he preached. He used very colourful metaphors and stories in his sermons. More than that, he was known for being a selfless person. He did a lot of good. He didn't just preach—he walked the walk. He reached out and touched people's lives in all sorts of ways. Really a man of God.
This hymn was not found until after he had died, when his wife published a book of his hymns and other works. It came out then, and as people got to know this poem, This Is My Father's World, they learnt that he would take frequent afternoon walks. As he would go, he would say to his wife on his way out, "I'm off to see My Father's World." Then this poem came as a result of this phrase that was always on his mind as he went on these walks. It's a beautiful poem about the beauty of the world and about God's sovereign reign over the world.
Sadly, Babcock died at a young age—at 42. He went to the Holy Land on a trip there, and on his way back contracted Mediterranean fever. This killed him. Some people say that he committed suicide because the pain of this disease, which was truly awful, just got the better of him. But other people just say the disease killed him. Either way, it's a tragedy that he would contract this disease and die at a young age when he still had so much to give.
This book of poems and hymns and thoughts of his came out, and you can find it online. I went and looked at it—I'll put the link down below, and you can read all sorts of his thoughts. Really beautiful stuff. He was very much praised by the people around him and the people at his funeral for his deep love for God and His deep Christian life, which really was true.
It was only a few years later that a man named Franklin Sheppard put some music to these words. He took out a lot of the words because there are many, many verses, just trimmed it down, and then it became quite a popular hymn. It's a shame in a way that Babcock never got to hear this hymn of his sung. But we know it, and we love it, and I think this is a hymn that's worth still singing. The words are quite difficult in some points, as you'll see, but it's so worth bringing about. Especially, like I said, I wish I'd sung this on Ascension Day because Jesus sits on the throne. The world belongs to Him. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him, and so it's a very powerful song for that theme.
Let's take a look at His lyrics, and I want to look at all 16 verses that he wrote. I won't take too long, I promise, but I'd love to get his whole stream of thinking from beginning to end in this poem.
What Do the Lyrics of "This Is My Father's World" Mean?
Typically we don't do all these verses, of course, and so a lot of them will be unfamiliar to you.
Verse 1
Verse one, which is not commonly sung, says: This is My Father's World, on the day of its wondrous birth, the stars of light in phalanx bright sang out in Heavenly mirth.
"Phalanx" is not a word I was familiar with. It means like a troop, and so he was saying the stars were like a troop of soldiers almost, singing out in heavenly mirth. "Mirth" normally means humour, doesn't it? But I suppose it can also mean joy. He's saying this world, from the beginning, from the day that God brought it into creation, had these stars just shining in heavenly joy.
Verse 2
Verse two is one that's more familiar to most of us: This is My Father's World, yet to my listening ears—normally we drop that "even Eden yet"—to my listening ears, all nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres.
So the whole world is singing. Nature is singing. The music of creation, the music of the heavens. The "spheres," I suppose, was reference to the heavens. Yes, it's our Father's world, but to our listening ears, if we'll listen, we'll hear His music everywhere we go. I love that.
Verse 3
Verse three: This Is My Father's World, I rest me in the thought of rocks and trees and skies and seas, His hand the wonders wrought.
Looking at His Father's world brought him rest to his soul. As he looked at rocks, trees, skies, and seas, he saw God's hand having wrought these things—in other words, brought them into creation—and it gives him rest. Lovely.
Verse 4
Verse four: This Is My Father's World, the birds that their carols raise, the morning light, the lily white declare their Maker's praise.
Again, picture this guy walking out in the morning, hearing the birds, seeing the morning light and the flowers, the lilies, and hearing how all of these things are declaring God's praise. This is God's world. If you'll open your eyes, you'll see His beauty in these ways.
Verse 5
Verse five carries on with more nature talk: 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.
When last did you take a walk and just hear God's voice in the rustling grass and in all that's fair and beautiful? Just hearing His voice. Man, I love these words.
Verse 6
Verse six: This Is My Father's World, from His eternal throne, He watch doth keep when I'm asleep, and I am not alone.
Here the theme changes. Here he's saying even when I'm asleep and I'm not walking about looking at His beauty, He's watching over me and keeping me, and I'm never alone. Beautiful thing to realise. That's what our Christian faith so often does—it reminds us that God is with us. That's the hope, isn't it? That He's watching over us and He's with us at the same time.
Verse 7
Verse seven: This Is My Father's World, dreaming I see His face, I open my eyes and in glad surprise, cry, 'The Lord is in this place.'
Even in his sleep, he's seeing God's face in his dreams, and then when he awakes, he realises gladly that God is here. Maybe you need to hear this one today—that even when you're sleeping, God is with you, and you can wake up and say, "God is in this place. He's with me even when I'm asleep and every time I wake."
Verse 8
Verse eight goes back to a little bit of walking about: This Is My Father's World, I walk a desert alone, in a bush ablaze to my wondering gaze, God makes His glory known.
I suppose this is a reference to the burning bush in the desert with Moses. Babcock says if I'm walking a lone desert, which I sometimes do, God still will bring His fire into my gaze, make His glory known.
Last week I did a new episode of Luke Listens, which is a new series listening to some modern Christian music. If you haven't checked that out, go and have a look. I looked at Casting Crowns' song about the desert road and how God is with us on the desert road. This just brings me back to that—how God's glory can still be found in the deserts.
Verse 9
Verse nine: This Is My Father's World, among the mountains drear, mid rending rocks and earthquake shocks, the still small voice I hear.
Now he's looking up at huge mountains and saying even if God crushes these mountains and rends them or splits them, and even if there are earthquakes shaking the mountains in my life, I can hear His still small voice through it. Beautiful. That's a reference, of course, to the story of Elijah in the Old Testament hearing God through the still small voice.
Verse 10
On he goes. Verse 10: This Is My Father's World, from The Shining courts above, the beloved one, His only Son, came a pledge of deathless love.
Now the perspective has shifted. As he looks at the shining courts, the heavens, he thinks about how Jesus came down, a pledge of deathless love. He came to give love, deathless love. Even though Jesus died in the body and was raised again, love never died. Walking around, he's reminded of this. Are you reminded today that God brought deathless love—love that cannot die—through His Son Jesus?
Verse 11
Verse 11 goes on and says: This is My Father's World, now closer to Heaven bound, for dear to God is the earth Christ trod, no place but is Holy Ground.
Here is where I started to think about using this for Ascension Day, because he's saying, "Yes, I'm bound on my way to heaven, I'm on my way heavenbound, but this earth that Christ walked on is holy." Though He ascended, He left us here to care for the earth and care for His creation, because this is holy ground. He was here. He walked on this earth. The earth is God's, and it's dear to God.
Don't you love that line? For dear to God is the earth Christ trod, no place but is Holy Ground. Wherever you are right now, that's holy ground. Are you making that ground, that place, that community better in Jesus' name? As a follower of Jesus, He's in heaven, but He's given us Authority—His authority—to go and make this place better.
Verse 12
On he goes. Verse 12: This Is My Father's World, His love has filled my breast, I'm reconciled, I am His child, my soul has found His rest.
Lovely. Now this is just talking about relationship with God. His love, that deathless love which he spoke of earlier, has found me, and it's brought my soul to rest. I don't need to struggle and wrestle anymore within, because I'm reconciled, brought back to God, and I'm a child of God, adopted in His family. This is His world. Love this.
Verse 13
Verse 13: This Is My Father's World, a wanderer I may roam, whatever my lot, it matters not, my heart is still at home.
Yes, even though I'm roaming this earth and all sorts of things come my way, my lot can be made up of any sort of thing. He's talking about whatever happens in my life doesn't matter—my heart is still at home because Christ is there. These are great words of faith, aren't they?
Verse 14
We're almost done, and these last three verses were the ones that when I read them, I thought again, "Ascension Day!" This Is My Father's World, though let me never forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
Ascension Day reminds me that even though the world often seems wrong and dark and evil, God is still the ruler and Jesus is still on the throne. I can trust that He will make things right and heal this earth. Let me never forget that this is my Father's world. It's not the devil's world. It is the Father's world, and it is Jesus' world now that He's ascended.
There was a time when Satan was having his way. Remember Jesus, just before He died, said, "This is the hour of the prince of this world." But now that's over because Jesus has conquered, and it's now firmly in Jesus' grasp. Even though there often seems to be wrongs, God is still the ruler.
Verse 15
The last two verses carry on with this theme. This Is My Father's World, the battle is not done, Jesus who died shall be satisfied, and earth and Heaven be one.
Yes, the victory has been won, but there are still battles taking place. There's going to come a time when all of this will be done and earth and heaven will be made one. This is what the end of Revelation is about, isn't it? About heaven coming to earth when Jesus returns. In the meantime, He is in control. Even though the battle is not done, we're still fighting the battle on His behalf. We look forward to the day when it all comes right.
Verse 16
Then verse 16, the last one: 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.
Ascension Day. Jesus is King. He's on the throne. The heavens are ringing with His praise, and so we on earth can be glad and not cower in fear. He's on the throne. What a powerful, powerful poem.
We miss out on a lot of this, don't we, when we sing only the three or four verses we do? Now, of course, it makes it hard to try to sing them all—it'll take too long. But I think hearing his whole scope of thought here, beginning to end, it's a much richer poem than we realised.
Oh, I love these words about the power of God and the grace of God, the creation of God, but the reign of God over it all. It gives me such hope as I sing this song that yes, though the earth sometimes seems bad and evil, the battle's not over and Jesus is winning. Do you believe that today—that Jesus is winning despite there being evil still in the world? Because Satan's still on his leash, God is still in control.
Maybe today you needed to be reminded that this is God's world, not Satan's world.
Conclusion
I hope this has blessed you. What words spoke to you? Please share that below in the comments. Thank you to those who support my channel on Patreon or through PayPal. As many of you know, my church is quite small, and so I get a small stipend from them, but my main income comes from the work I do online through my daily devotions, Friday Classic Hymns, and the rest. Thank you for supporting. Please feel free to just watch any time for free.
Let's sing the song together. What I'm going to do, because I want to sing all 16 verses, is do it a bit differently. I'm going to do two verses and then the third verse as a chorus—that's kind of one part—and that allows me to do five of those. So it kind of becomes five verses, five parts. It should not take too long, but I really want to sing the whole thing, so I hope you'll sing with me and be blessed as you sing.
References
Kenneth W. Osbeck, 101 More Hymn Stories (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1985)
Maltbie D. Babcock, Thoughts For Every Day Living (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1901)
