He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

Before Sophia goes down for a nap we read a book and sing songs. (And by "we" I really mean "me") It is one of the sweetest parts of my day, which is great because it happens 2 - 3 times a day! Near the end of the book, Sophia will start to get restless. She'll start grunting in protest and kicking her feet. But as soon as the story is over, I spin her around and hold her close to me and start singing. Immediately she relaxes and lays her head on my shoulder. I could sit with her like this forever....

We sing a variety of songs, but the very first one I ever sang to her and my favorite still today is "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." We have a flexible routine with the words. We always start with a round of

He's got the mamas and the daddies in His hands

followed by:

He's got the babies and the doggies in His hands

and then each day is different. We sing about whatever is going on that day. So if it's raining out, we might sing "He's got the wind and the rain in His hands" or if we're feeling particularly rushed that day we may sing "He's got the hours and the minutes in His hands."

This has become a ministry to my own heart over the course of the past few months. I insert whatever is troubling me, whatever I feel helpless about. It can lead to some interesting combinations, like the day Andy was driving home from work and Sophia's teacher was just diagnosed with breast cancer: "He's got the cars and the cancer in His hands." It can also lead to some gross descriptions: "He's got the snot and the sneezes in His hands." Or some that just don't work but you do them anyway: "He's got the power and the outages in His hands."

We always end with a round of:

He's got you and me in His hands

before I lay her down in her crib. It's beautiful. However I walked into her room, I float out with the peace of knowing that everything is in the Lord's hands. Nothing is out of control. Nothing should I feel helpless over. This simple song is a reminder that my God created all things and holds all things together according to His perfect will.

Amen!