You help make Hymnary.org possible. More than 10 million people from 200+ countries found hymns, liturgical resources and encouragement on Hymnary.org in 2025, including you. Every visit affirms the global impact of this ministry.

If Hymnary has been meaningful to you this year, would you take a moment today to help sustain it? A gift of any size—paired with a note of encouragement if you wish—directly supports the server costs, research work and curation that keep this resource freely available to the world.

Give securely online today, or mail a check to:
Hymnary.org
Calvin University
3201 Burton Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546

Thank you for your partnership, and may the hope of Advent fill your heart.

Lord of All Being, Throned Afar

Representative Text

1 Lord of all being, throned afar,
thy glory flames from sun and star;
centre and soul of every sphere,
yet to each loving heart how near!

2 Sun of our life, thy quickening ray
sheds on our path the glow of day;
Star of our hope, thy softened light
cheers the long watches of the night.

3 Our midnight is thy smile withdrawn,
our noontide is thy gracious dawn,
our rainbow arch thy mercy's sign;
all, save the clouds of sin, are thine.

4 Lord of all life, below, above,
whose light is truth, whose warmth is love,
before thy ever-blazing throne
we ask no lustre of our own.

5 Grant us thy truth to make us free,
and kindling hearts that burn for thee,
till all thy living altars claim
one holy light, one heavenly flame.

Source: Hymns of Glory, Songs of Praise #125

Author: Oliver Wendell Holmes

Holmes, Oliver Wendell, M.D, LL.D., son of the Rev. Abiel Holmes, D.D. of Cambridge, U.S.A., was born at Cambridge, Aug. 29, 1809, and educated at Harvard, where he graduated in 1829. After practising for some time in Boston, he was elected in 1847 to the chair of Anatomy, in Harvard. His writings in prose and verse are well known and widely circulated. They excel in humour and pathos. Although not strictly speaking a hymnwriter, a few of his hymns are in extensive use, and include:— 1. Father of mercies, heavenly Friend. Prayer during war. 2. Lord of all being, throned afar. God's Omnipresence. This is a hymn of great merit. It is dated 1848. 3. 0 Lord of hosts, Almighty King. Soldiers’ Hymn. Dated 1861. 4. 0 Love… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Lord of all being; throned afar
Title: Lord of All Being, Throned Afar
Author: Oliver Wendell Holmes (1848)
Meter: 8.8.8.8
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

Hymnary Pro Subscribers
Access an additional article on the Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology:
Hymnary Pro subscribers have full access to the Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Get Hymnary Pro

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 30 of 30)
Page Scan

A New Hymnal for Colleges and Schools #497

Adoru #473

Anglican Hymns Old and New (Rev. and Enl.) #466

TextPage Scan

Church Hymnary (4th ed.) #125

Page Scan

Common Praise (1998) #490

TextPage Scan

Common Praise #506

Page Scan

Complete Mission Praise #439a

Page Scan

Complete Mission Praise #439b

Favorite Songs of the Church #327

Favourite Hymns of the Church #13

Great Songs of the Church (Revised) #113

Hymns and Psalms #11a

Hymns and Psalms #11b

TextPage Scan

Hymns of Glory, Songs of Praise #125

Hymns of the Church #137

Magnify the Lord #383

TextPage Scan

Moravian Book of Worship #464

Page Scan

Praise for the Lord (Expanded Edition) #407

Redemption Hymnal #1

Sacred Songs of the Church #489

TextPage Scan

Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal #17

Audio

Small Church Music #272

Songs of Faith and Praise #183

Songs of the Church #110

The Baptist Hymnal #72

TextPage Scan

The Book of Praise #308

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #3562

Text

The Hymnal 1982 #419

The Irish Presbyterian Hymnbook #27

TextPage Scan

The New English Hymnal #403

Include 418 pre-1979 instances
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us
It looks like you are using an ad-blocker. Ad revenue helps keep us running. Please consider white-listing Hymnary.org or getting Hymnary Pro to eliminate ads entirely and help support Hymnary.org.