Gracious God, You Send Great Blessings

As we open our mouths to offer praise to the Lord, this time we recognize how God takes care of us each and every day. While the world focuses on what we are missing, what is running short, and what is getting more and more costly, we remember that we live by faith and by God’s gracious giving all that we need.

Gracious God, You send great blessings
New each morning all our days.
For Your mercies never ending,
For Your love we offer praise.

Each day the sun comes up and warms the earth. Each day we wake up and have our duties before us. We have spouses to greet, children to hug, work to do, and chores to accomplish. While we may forget it, we live lives just like the people in the Bible: in one way or another, we are taking God of God’s creation. But it is even more specific than that: we are taking care of those who God gave to us.

Refrain: Lord, we pray that we,
Your people,
Who Your gifts unnumbered claim,
Through the sharing of Your blessings
May bring glory to Your name.

This is the first hymn I have studied that has a refrain. When a hymnwriter includes a refrain, usually it contains the main point for us. That’s why we sing it four times or more! In this case, the point is this, that we pray to God for unnumbered gifts, and that we would use them for His continued glory. That like a father provides for His children, so our God provides for us. That as His children we would share with others who are His children also.

By Your Word You formed creation
Filled with creatures large and small;
As we tend that endless treasure
May our care encircle all.
Refrain

Here we sing about creation. This is logically where we should always start with stewardship, at the creation of the world. God created the world to be enjoyed and to be cared for. Many of us understand this very well because our jobs are tied to the land and the animals around us. This is an endless treasure for us, because God has made the land to be fruitful and the animals to multiply so that in this way He will provide for us and take care of our families.

In His earthly life, our Savior
Knew the care of faithful friends;
May our deeds of dedication
Offer love that never ends. Refrain

From creation, now the hymnwriter moves to the life of Jesus. We understand here that when Jesus was hungry, some fed Him. When He was thirsty, some gave Him something to drink. When He was about to die, the woman washed His feet with her hair. This stanza is actually the opposite side of the question, “What would Jesus do?” It actually is more along the lines of “What did Jesus’ friends do for Him?” As much as they loved Jesus, and as much as we love Jesus, let us treat our neighbors just like we would treat Jesus. Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, to the poor bring the Gospel.

Heavenly Father, may our caring
Bear the imprint of Your grace;
With the Son and Holy Spirit,
Praise by Yours in every place! Refrain

In all things, we end by praising our Lord. Knowing what God has done, providing for our lives and wives, for our children, land, and animals, we give thanks and praise to God. Knowing what Jesus has done for His neighbor, that He has laid down His life for His friends, we praise the Lord for His sacrifice and pray for our willingness to sacrifice for any who are in need. It is like the refrain reminds us,

Refrain: Lord, we pray that we, Your people,

Who Your gifts unnumbered claim,
Through the sharing of Your blessings
May bring glory to Your name.

Rev. James Peterson
St. John
Curtis, Nebraska