Her name was Karolina Wilhelmina Sandell-Berg. Her Father was a Lutheran minister who drowned after being thrown from the boat as he and Karolina travelled across Lake Vattern in Sweden. Many people believe that this is what caused her to write over 600 hymns and to become what people called the “Fanny Crosby of Sweden”. They believe that especially this hymn was inspired by that event.
Children of the heav’nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in Heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.
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.
Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.
Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.
Lo, their very hairs He numbers,
And no daily care encumbers
Them that share His ev’ry blessing
And His help in woes distressing.
Praise the Lord in joyful numbers:
Your Protector never slumbers.
At the will of your Defender Ev’ry foeman must surrender.
When we remember our blessed dead we should remember the responsibility that we have to manifest Christ in our words and deeds and trust in Him as judge because He is also our Savior. We should remember that all things consist in Him including or troubles and sorrows. Martin Franzmann wrote, To bring it down to our own life: my own diseases consist by Him. My growing older, feebler of eye, less quick of mind, and certainly less mobile of body -these are in the hand of the Lamb that was slain, the hand of the Christ, who reconciled all things to Himself. My march toward death, my dying -they belong to Him and they consist in Him who said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” And this, too, does not remove us from responsibility but places it squarely upon our shoulders. In spite of all these evil things, and through them, the Gospel of the kingdom must be proclaimed. Amid the sound of the footfalls of the God that marches toward judgment, this music never dare cease. All things, absolutely all things, consist by Him.
