“God his own doth tend and nourish... in his mighty arms he bears them.”

Hymn: “Children of the Heavenly Father” – Caroline V. Sandell-Berg (1832-1903)
             Translated by Ernst W. Olson
Tune: TRYGGARE KAN INGEN VARA

“God his own doth tend and nourish.
In his holy courts they flourish.
From all evil things he spares them.
In his mighty arms he bears them.”

In most hymnals, this is the second-of-four stanzas and includes highlights from Psalm 23, describing God as the Shepherd - tending and nourishing the flock, inviting them into the house of the Lord forever, sparing them from all that might harm them, and ultimately enfolding them in his strong arms as he carries them through the meadow.

This is a beautiful picture of the One who takes great care to take care of us – we who are the sheep of his pasture – we following-lambs of the Lamb.

While God tends to us, giving us his undivided attention, he is seeing to it that we are given each day our daily bread. In our dual role as children of his and servants in his courts, we are allowed to succeed. Nothing truly wicked can overtake us because God is ever our Protector, delivering us from evil. When carried in his mighty arms, he keeps us above all that might distract us or harm us; in that position (close proximity to the heart of the Shepherd), we are less likely to be led astray by the temptations above which we are borne.

You may notice that this also parallels statements from the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread,” “Deliver us from evil,” and “Lead us not into temptation,” reminding us that our prayer is being answered even as we speak it!

While this is often considered a “Children’s Hymn,” it speaks volumes to all who consider themselves children of the most high God, sheep of his pasture, pray-ers of the prayer he taught us to pray. Let’s not overlook the depth of the riches of this stanza of one of the great hymns.

Hymn sung by Mennonite men’s group