A Walk on the Beach
Though he slay me, I will hope in him. (Job 13:15).
Yesterday, I took a walk on the beach. It was Sunday and the weather was perfect. In my humble opinion, Southwest Michigan has some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. It had been a rough week, and I knew that the sun, fresh air, and solitude would do me good. As I walked several miles along Rocky Gap Beach, collecting stones and startling seagulls, the words of an old hymn came to mind. Although it had been decades since I’d sung this song in public worship, I remembered the lyrics, all three verses (!). As I walked alone, I began to sing – loudly!
This is my Father’s world, and to my list’ning ears
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear him pass; he speaks to me everywhere.
To be honest, I’ve always considered this hymn to be sentimental, sugary, schmaltzy; a pious jingle for nature lovers and tree huggers. But yesterday, as I absorbed the splendor of the rocks and trees, the skies and seas, the words seemed pregnant with power. It felt that God was speaking to me through his creation and addressing directly my own life circumstances.
I returned home several hours later feeling refreshed and, at least to some extent, renewed.
This morning, during my personal devotional time, the words that I had sung so loudly on the beach yesterday came to me again. I reached for my hymnal to make sure I had the words right. I was pleased to discover that my memory was good. As I looked over the page, however, I noticed the name of the author; Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858-1901). Intrigued by someone who had such a strange first name, I wanted to know more about this poet whose words were speaking deeply to my life situation.
I discovered that Maltbie Babcock was from a prominent family in upstate New York. He excelled in academics, sports, and music. Feeling called into the ministry, he served as a Presbyterian pastor in Lockport (NY), Baltimore, and finally at one of the most prestigious churches in the nation, Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City, where he received a salary of $30,000; an astounding sum of money in those days. At the dawn of the twentieth century, he was one of the most promising young preachers in the nation.
As is often the case, however, outward success was accompanied by inward trials. Both of his children died in infancy. This certainly contributed to his life-long struggle with depression. He even spent time in an institution (sanitarium) for what was then called “nervous prostration”. During his short tenure at Brick Presbyterian Church, he took a steamship to visit the Holy Land. He hoped that this ‘sabbatical’ would bring some relief to his inner turmoil. On the journey home, however, Babcock became ill with “Mediterranean Fever” (brucellosis). He stopped in Naples, Italy, where he was admitted to a hospital for treatment. While there he committed suicide by slitting his wrists and ingesting mercuric chloride! He was 42 years old. Newspapers from coast to coast reported his death. The New York Times ran the headline: “The Rev. Dr. Babcock committed suicide; act believed to have been done during delirium of fever.”
Needless to say, learning the tragic story of the author of the hymn that had ministered so deeply to my soul on the beach yesterday was a shock. My discomfort made me want to end my devotional time with a pious “Amen” and move on with my day. But then, I felt led to take my hymnal again and reread that third verse. Now, I began to realize why this hymn was speaking so deeply to my own life situation.
This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world: why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring! God reigns; let the earth be glad!
On the one hand, I’m struggling to make sense of a man who could affirm his faith with such beautiful words and then give in to the darkest depths of despair. On the other hand, I’m profoundly grateful that now I know the rest of the story. In this beautiful hymn, Babcock was expressing his faith in the Lordship of Jesus Christ in the midst of deep inner pain. This Is My Father’s World is not a sentimental nature hymn. No! It is, rather, the raw affirmation of trust written by an honest soul struggling with deep, dark depression. Maltbie Davenport Babcock was not a dreamy romantic or a nature-loving pietist. He was a real man, living in a real world, with real demons, and real tragedy… and real hope. He was no different from the psalmist who wrote another hymn some three thousand years ago: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Ps. 42:5).
Faith in God does not make us immune from hardship, or tragedy. Jesus died to save us from sin, not suffering! He may not explain why it happens, but he does promise to walk with us through the valley. No one who trusts in him will ever be disappointed (see Rom. 10:11). “O let me ne’er forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.”
So, dear friend, stop trying to solve the problem of suffering and begin to embrace the mystery. Maybe you need to take a walk and express your faith today by singing This Is My Father’s World. When you do, I believe Jesus himself will walk with you, singing in harmony.
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