LESSON 37
GOD IS EVERYWHERE
Oh! show me where is He,
The high and holy One,
To whom thou bend'st the knee,
And prayest, “Thy will be done! ”
I hear thy song of praise,
And lo! no form is near:
Thine eyes I see thee raise,
But where doth God appear?
Oh! teach me who is God, and where his glories shine,
That I may kneel and pray, and call thy Father mine.
“Gaze on that arch above:
The glittering vault admire.
Who taught those orbs to move?
Who lit their ceaseless fire?
Who guides the moon to run
In silence through the skies?
Who bids that dawning sun
In strength and beauty rise?
There view immensity! behold! my God is there:
The sun, the moon, the stars, his majesty declare.
“See where the mountains rise:
Where thundering torrents foam;
Where, veiled in towering skies,
The eagle makes his home:
Where savage nature dwells,
My God is present, too:
Through all her wildest dells
His footsteps I pursue:
He reared those giant cliffs, supplies that dashing stream,
Provides the daily food which stills the wild bird's scream.
“Look on that world of waves,
Where finny nations glide;
Within whose deep, dark caves
The ocean monsters hide:
His power is sovereign there,
To raise, to quell the storm;
The depths his bounty share,
Where sport the scaly swarm:
Tempests and calms obey the same almighty voice,
Which rules the earth and skies, and bids far worlds rejoice.”
—Joseph Hutton
STUDY GUIDE
A. Essential Vocabulary—Answer the following questions which contain important vocabulary items in the poem.
1. An orb is a round object. In the poem, what “orbs” is the writer talking about?
2. Something that is ceaseless never stops. What are some things in the world that are ceaseless?
3. Immensity means the very large size of some things. What things are immense?4. To dwell is to live in a particular place like a house or an apartment. Tell about the place where you dwell.
5. To quell is to stop or calm something down. According to the writer, what does God have the power to quell?
6. To rejoice is to be happy about things. Why should people rejoice about God?
B. Opinion Questions—Answer the following questions.
1. Why is this poem called “God is Everywhere”? Explain.
2. In the first stanza, it says “But where doth God appear? ” Why can God not be seen?
3. The end of stanza says that God “Provides the daily food which stills the wild bird's scream”. What does this mean?
4. Do you believe that God is everywhere? Explain.
5. Tell about a time when you felt that God was with you. What happened?
C. Find the word—Using the clues, fill in the correct word from the poem.
1. stanza 1—to say good things about someone: p _____
2. stanza 2—an orb in the sky: m ___
3. stanza 3—fast moving streams: t _______
4. stanza 3—wild/uncivilized: s _____
5. stanza 4—a lot of something: b _____
6. stanza 4—strong storms: t _______
7. stanza 4—very powerful: a _______