This Is My Father’s World

Maltbie D. Babcock, a Northeastern native and poet, penned the words that became the well-known hymn “This Is My Father’s World.” “While a pastor in Lockport, N.Y., near Lake Ontario, hymnologist Kenneth Osbeck noted Babcock’s practice of ‘taking morning walks to the top of a hill north of town where he had a full view of Lake Ontario and the surrounding country.’ It was said that he had a frequent expression before leaving for these walks, ‘I’m going out to see my Father’s world’” (C. Michael Hawn, “History of Hymns: ‘This Is My Father’s World,’” UMC Discipleship, June 20, 2013, https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-this-is-my-fathers-world). From his time spent in nature, he observed, like the psalmist, that nature declares the glory of God. This beauty and glory bring us hope—and that hope compels us to share it with others.