The Hand That Made Us Is Divine

The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heavens, a shining frame,
Their great Original proclaim.
The unwearied sun from day to day
Does his Creator’s power display,
And publishes to every land
The works of an almighty hand.
Soon as the evening shades prevail
The moon takes up the wondrous tale,
And nightly to the listening earth
Repeats the story of her birth;
Whilst all the stars that round her burn
And all the planets in their turn,
Confirm the tidings, as they roll,
And spread the truth from pole to pole.
What though in solemn silence all
Move round the dark terrestrial ball;
What though no real voice nor sound
Amid their radiant orbs be found;
In reason’s ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice;
Forever singing as they shine,
“The hand that made us is divine.”


–Joseph Addison

It is a great presumption to ascribe our successes to our own management, and not to esteem ourselves upon any blessing, rather as it is the bounty of heaven, than the acquisition of our own prudence.

Joseph Addison, The Spectator, Feb. 5, 1712

 I came across this poem in my reading last week, (It is available here to download - I'll eventually buy it) and I liked this quote so much I decided to find out about Joseph Addison. 
My visceral response to the words Mr. Addison penned was shared with another moment yesterday. We are presntly teaching our twos about the fourth day of creation.  There is something mystical when littles respond to "What else did God make?"  "God made all things" coming from tiny little mouths with shining baby faces - it always blesses me, it resonates the truth that He alone is center.  “The hand that made us is divine”- God made all things and we are to glorify him in joy, in expectation, in truth, in trust  whether in the surrounding dark clouds, benevolent bounty or somewhere mid mix.