Devotional Thoughts Based on the Glory to God Hymnal

Hosea 10:12

Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground for it is time to seek the Lord that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

I thought this was a relatively new hymn, but the text is by Georgia Harkness (1955) and it is set to the Italian hymn tune, which is the setting for the hymn, “Come, Thou Almighty King.” This hymn is located in the “Dedication and Stewardship” section of Glory to God and it is filled with agricultural imagery: fertile fields, countryside, seed, and fruit. The stewardship element is clearly found in verse 2.

We would be stewards true, holding in trust for you all that you give; help us in love to share, teach us like you to care for people everywhere that they may live.

The hymn also contains two references to The Lord’s Prayer. In the first verse we note “our daily bread” and the hymn’s last stanza ends with “Your will be done”.

In the end the sowing, growing, and harvesting are not just references to agriculture, but to cultivating righteousness and steadfast love in our living so that God may shower us with righteousness.

Prayer

O Lord we thank you for our daily bread and for the opportunity to live daily so that Your will is done. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.