Scripture References:
st. 3 = 1 Pet. 4:9

Psalter Hymnal Revision Committee member Marie J. Post (PHH 5) wrote this text for publication in the 1974 Psalter Hymnal Supplement. It was written to fill a gap in the 1959 Psalter Hymnal, which contained very few hymns with an emphasis on home and family. The 1987 Psalter Hymnal includes stanzas 1-3 of the original text.

"In Our Households" is a prayer for love, peace, joy, and charity in the home; for obedience to divine discipline; and a life of hospitality and service. Because this prayer seemed to focus mainly on married people, Rolf Bouma added a new third stanza in 1991 when he was pastor of Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, to acknowledge the increasing number of single adults and parents who also form households:

And in single life or married,
make us open to your call
to encourage, comfort others,
and show love to one and all.

Liturgical Use:
The family theme of this hymn can and should be extended to mean all of God's family throughout the world; family life services; weddings; cell groups or household worship times.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook