He wasn’t
the first to scrawl some words following a nature walk in the woods. And, maybe
other individuals before Maltbie Davenport Babcock had likewise been enthralled
with their surroundings in Lockport, New York, but he actually mouthed some of
his song’s memorable words virtually every day when he went on his nature treks
in the mid-to-late 19th Century. “This Is My Father’s World”, one can
imagine him saying as he looked upon scenes, perhaps including the waterways of
nature and the manmade locks built to manage their flow in the area (see picture).
He might have focused completely on the creation that he observed, but he instead
took note that it also had a Creator. That’s apparent in the first words of
each of his poem-song’s six verses, and it’s an easy concept to grasp -that is,
if you look at what Maltbie did with the same discerning eye.
It wasn’t surprising
that Maltbie Babcock would choose to be out in nature when “This Is My Father’s
World” gestated in his spirit. He was an avid athlete in college, in addition to
having a high musical IQ. So, running or hiking was a routine he adopted early
in his ministerial career in Lockport, his first professional assignment following
college. He would probably have said a better spot could not have been picked
for him, given the area’s proximity to Lake Ontario and the nearby woods and
farmland. His daily jaunts to investigate ‘my father’s world’ were the source for
the 16-stanza poem he crafted, much of which became the lyrics for a song that
was crafted by a close friend (Franklin Shephard) following his untimely death
in 1901. Put yourself in Maltbie’s shoes on one of his walks or runs near Lake
Ontario, on a hilly area near some woods or a farm where all sorts of wildlife occupied
the same space as this minister. Reportedly, some 40 different species of birds
occupy this area, something that no doubt caught Maltbie’s eyes and ears, as he
recorded in one stanza that ‘…the birds their carols raise’ (v. 2). Though he
was a musician, skilled in the organ, piano, and violin, Maltbie found that the
nature which fascinated him so produced a music of its own -- ‘…nature sings…music of the spheres’ (v.1). While
he adored the sights and sounds he beheld, Maltbie also mentions God’s most significant
creative act – providing Jesus Christ (vv. 3-5) – to underscore the goodness that
is in His nature. It’s as if Maltbie, out on one of his strolls on a sunshine-splashed
June day, surrounded by greenery, a bubbling brook, chirping birds and various other
wildlife, stopped for a moment to reflect that he would encounter still more stunning
scenery someday – meeting the One who created all that he sensed. ‘I ope my
eyes…the Lord is in this place’ (v. 4), and ‘God reigns – let the earth be glad’
(v.5). Perhaps he thought to himself ‘this is all a foretaste’.
Perhaps we
all need to take a walk outside more often, huh? If Maltbie Babcock saw more
than met the eye, that would be faith (Hebrews 11:1), according to God’s definition.
Year after year, Maltbie must have realized that the nature around himself lay
dormant for a time, and then would spring back to life, right on schedule. To a
botanist, perhaps that’s not extraordinary, since it happens as we expect it to
so regularly. But, seeing that there must be someone behind the scenes, as Mr.
Babcock recognized, allows one to magnify the appreciation of what you can
experience in smelling flowers, listening to birds make music, watching animals
frolic in the woods, touching velvet-like tree blossoms, and tasting a
fresh-picked blackberry. Are all your senses engaged now? Can you see now who Maltbie saw on his walks?
See more
information on the song story in these sources: The Complete Book of
Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs by William J.
Petersen and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, 2006; Amazing
Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck,
Kregel Publications, 1990; 101 Hymn Stories, by Kenneth W. Osbeck,
Kregel Publications, 1982; and Then Sings My Soul – 150 of the World’s
Greatest Hymn Stories, Robert J. Morgan, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003.
Also see this link, showing all six original verses and a brief
recitation of the song’s story: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/t/i/s/m/tismyfw.htm
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