Scripture References:
all st. = Gen. 1, Ps. 24, Ps. 104, Acts 4:24

When he went walking along the shores of Lake Ontario, Maltbie D. Babcock (b. Syracuse, NY, 1858; d. Naples, Italy, 1901) would say, "I'm going out to see my Father's world." He wrote this poem, originally in sixteen stanzas of four lines each; it was published posthumously in Babcock's Thoughts for Everyday Living (1901). Parts of his long poem were joined to form stanzas 1 and 3 in the Psalter Hymnal. Mary Babcock Crawford (b. Salem, OR, 1909), Babcock's granddaughter, wrote stanza 2 in 1972 at a time of increased ecological awareness and concern. That stanza was originally published in the Episcopal Hymnal (1982).

The text is a confession of faith and trust, a testimony that all creation around us is the handiwork of our Father, who made the creation (st. 1), charged us to take good care of it (st. 2), and continues to exercise his kingship over it (st. 3; also see 19 for this theme). The phrase "music of the spheres" in stanza 1 refers to the ancient belief that the planets made music or harmony as they revolved in the universe.

Babcock graduated from Syracuse University, New York, and Auburn Theological Seminary (now associated with Union Theological Seminary in New York) and became a Presbyterian minister. He served the Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, Maryland, and the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City. In Baltimore he was especially popular with students from Johns Hopkins University, but he ministered to people from all walks of life. Babcock wrote hymn texts and devotional, poems, some of which were published in The School Hymnal (1899).

Mary Babcock Crawford attended Occidental College, Los Angeles, California, and received master's degrees from both San Francisco Theological Seminary and Columbia University, New York City. She has held administrative posts at Occidental College and at Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina. A United Methodist, she retired in Pebble Beach, California, where she was active in choral music well into her seventies.

Liturgical Use:
Many worship settings but especially those that focus on creation, providence, and steward¬ship of nature; fits well with springtime prayer services for crops/industry and for fall harvest thanksgiving; as a hymn of praise and a teaching hymn about God and creation.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook