let the heavens ring & let the earth be glad.

yesterday, while fumbling through the hymn book at my friend Sue's house, i discovered that some famous hymns have some verses i've never heard of before. they must be the ones that we skip in church when we only sing verses 1 and 3, or something like that.

anyways, "This is My Father's World", by Maltbie D. Babcock, is a hymn i am falling in love with.

"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 Only Son,
Came—a pledge of deathless love."

(verse four)

"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 trod.
No place but is holy ground."

(verse five)

words like: dreaming, shining, dear, glad, ring...they get me.

phrases like: "a pledge of deathless love", and "no place but is holy ground" make me feel like Mr. Babcock saw God when he saw the world.  he seemed very aware that when he woke up, he was still in his Father's world, and that was something to take dreamlike comfort in. what a dream to be true! that God is in this place! we, on planet earth, are dear to God!

it's holy ground, friends! let the earth be glad.