I remember well singing this song at camp, “He’s got the whole world in His hands.”  Perhaps you remember it too.   As the verses go on we sing –

He’s got you and me, brother, in His hands,
He’s got you and me, sister, in His hands,
He’s got everybody here in His hands,
He’s got the whole world in His hands.”*

It’s a happy song that reinforces that beautiful belief that God does indeed hold us in His hands.

There may be a message here for us as adults that we’re missing.   We each have our own opinions, biases and experiences; and so does everyone else.  We don’t all agree.  Then when we look around the world we even see people who we judge as evil.   Let’s be honest, are there some people who we don’t really want to be that close to, sitting side by side in God’s hand.   But we don’t get to decide who God chooses to love, we know that. [Somedays we’d like to, wouldn’t we?]

Are we being taught how to love in this simple little song?  The words were passed down from generation to generation orally, so let’s try our hand at adding a line or two.  We could start with something easy, “He’s got coffee and tea drinkers in His hands.”  No problem there.  Or how about, “He’s got Democrats and Republicans in his hands.”  Maybe that one was a little harder.  How about “He’s got the friend who lied to me and the boss who fired me in His hands.”  You get the idea.  God has them all in His hands.**

Getting closer to Jesus means getting closer to the people He created and loves – all of them, not just some of them.  His love is unconditional for you and me, but it’s not only for you and me.

Judy

*He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands, African American spiritual first published in 1927.  Some sources point to Master Sergeant Obie Edwin Philpot as the author.

**Credits to  How Sweet the Sound, by Laura L. Smith, Chapter 19, He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.