God's providence

Some people dislike this hymn because it sings of an aspect of God's work in this world rather than of him. As does "Amazing grace". Hmm.

I like it because :

1) it reminds me that there's nothing so big or so small that God has not worked it into his plan of love for good.

2) it goes to a great tune - Builth - with soaring tenors in the last bars.

3) I know the translator.

4) it's even better in Welsh, as you'd expect, No matter how good the translation (and this one excels) it's not the original.

GREAT providence of heaven –
what wonders shine
in its profound display
of God’s design:
it guards the dust of earth,
commands the hosts above,
fulfils the mighty plan
of His great love.

The kingdoms of this world
lie in its hand;
see how they rise or fall
at its command!
Through sorrow and distress,
tempestuous storms that rage,
God’s kingdom yet endures
from age to age.

Its darkness dense is but
a radiant light;
its oft-perplexing ways
are ordered right.
Soon all its winding paths
will end, and then the tale
of wonder shall be told
beyond the veil.

David Charles, 1762-1834;
tr. by Edmund Tudor Owen, b. 1935
© E T Owen

and in Welsh :

Rhagluniaeth fawr y nef,
Mor rhyfedd yw
Esboniad helaeth hon
O arfaeth Duw:
Mae’n gwylio llwch y llawr,
Mae’n trefnu lluoedd nef,
Cyflawna’r cwbwl oll
O’i gyngor ef.

Llywodraeth faith y byd
Sydd yn ei llaw,
Mae’n tynnu yma i lawr,
Yn codi draw:
Trwy bob helyntoedd blin,
Terfysgoedd o bob rhyw,
Dyrchafu’n gyson mae
Deyrnas ein Duw.

Ei th’wyllwch dudew sydd
Yn olau gwir,
Ei dryswch mwyaf, mae
Yn drefen glir;
Hi ddaw a’i throeon maith
Yn fuan oll i ben,
Bydd synnu wrth gofio’r rhain
Tu draw i’r llen.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I don't understand how you can sing somebody's praise if you don't at least sometimes praise what they do, not only who they are. My husband is wonderful. He is wonderful with DIY; he's saved us pounds, and sorting the cars out too. He's very kind and understanding especially when I'm ill. See what I mean? Who a person is, is proved by what they do. It's good to focus on God, His greatness, His providence, His holiness and most of all His love - proved in Christ. Thank you for frequent reminders of great hymns, or rather the great truths found in these old favourites.
9:01 am
Alan said…
I wholeheartedly agree ('Your lovingkindness is better than life').

Have we ever invited you over to stay? Tell Mr Bendigedig to bring his drill and stepladder.
9:43 am
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A bit about music exams in UK and France

They're really different. I think I have already mentioned that while in the UK people generally find a private teacher for their instrument, or do it through a school scheme, here there are municipal music school, conservatoires and so on. The situation is a little more complex than I had first understood, because the schools vary in the rigidity of their organisation: the most, the conservatoires, next the municipals, then the associations. Our music school is an association, but it tends to apply the standards of the municipal schools with its programme of cycles, etc. Britain - grade 1 to 8, grade 8 being roughly equivalent to A-level, pre university/conservatoire. France - 3 cycles, each taking about 4 years, with 3ème cycle being roughly equivalent to grade 8. Theory of music - UK to take grade 8 you need theory grade 5. In France you study theory alongside your instrumental studies, very slowly. Catrin's flute music is MUCH more difficult than the stuff she does in theor...
Read more

Good news from my sermon buddy

Yesterday we went over my script from August 13. There really wasn't much she had taken exception to. Once or twice she wondered quite what I was getting at (they had the same problem at Deeside, I think...) and I do have difficulties with the word " de ", but then she said "Who doesn't?" So I felt very encouraged. I also took the opportunity to ask her about one or two things: 1) Direct preaching. Like I used to in Britain, I preach saying you - using "vous" when I am talking to the whole wide world and "tu" when I want it to feel as if I am addressing each person individually. French preachers tend to say rather "What will we do, what will one do". So I asked her if she felt my way was too direct, too brutal for the French ear. She said "I think you can get away with it with your English accent". In fact several people have commented on how much they appreciated being spoken to directly in preaching. 2) Liaisons Last...
Read more

A brief sortie to North Wales

 Following the Great Keswick Debacle, when our volunteering at the Keswick café was sabotaged by our assorted indispositions, we had airline tickets to use up. Yes, we had not taken travel insurance, so we paid even more money to change our tickets to fly for a short visit to North Wales. This time we were able to go. We passed extremely slowly through a very crowded Bordeaux airport but in good time to get our plane. All seats in the terminal were taken so we leaned against whatever we could find while waiting to board. Hey, bags need seats, too! though sometimes pointing out to Pat, "No, that's a bag seat", makes the bag find a new refuge on the lap of the person sitting next to it... Once on the plane we quickly found our allocated seats - right at the back on the left hand side - stowed our bags and the flight was smooth and uneventful.  We had 30 minutes in Manchester to disembark, get through immigration , hustle off to the station and board our train for Shotton. I...
Read more