Lord of All Hopefulness (Blue Hymnal, Hymn #482)

Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy,
be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
be there at our labours, and give us, we pray,
your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

Reflection by Melanie Violette

“Lord of All Hopefulness, Lord of All Joy” is one of my favorite hymns. I enjoy the tune, which is difficult to convey here but is readily available on Youtube. I love the reminder that God is with us throughout the day and throughout our lives, lending us the help that we need.

Each verse follows the same pattern. Our God is the Lord of a lot of powerfully positive traits: hopefulness, joy, eagerness, faith, kindliness, grace, gentleness, and calm. We are reminded that God walked the earth, in the person of Jesus Christ. He grew as a child; he worked as a carpenter; he welcomed the children and outcast; he comforted the sick and grieving. We invite God to be with us throughout the day, to share with us His bliss, strength, love, and peace.

I often sing or hum this hymn throughout the day. It is a reminder to start each day with joyful anticipation, and to face the day's work eagerly. I especially need God's love to be in my heart just before supper, when we all arrive home from work and school tired and hungry. And at the end of the day, we seek peace and a quiet, restful night.

But there is also another meaning under the surface. I first became aware of this hymn when my grandfather was suffering from cancer. About the time we stopped praying for healing and began praying for peace, I realized that the hymn refers not just to time of day but also stages of our lives.

At the time, Patrick was an infant. As a newborn, he would fuss when he was uncomfortable, and often continued fussing for a minute or two after we had changed his diaper, until realization finally hit that all was once again well. Somewhere around 3 or 4 months of age, his pattern changed; he would stop fussing as soon as I picked him up, trusting me to fix whatever was wrong. This is what I think of as the trust, ever child-like: faith that our Father will make things right. I find that a child-like faith is actually a pretty high standard for me to work toward.

The second verse speaks of our labors, and asks for God's strength in our hearts as we work. Our labors are certainly a large part of most of our adult lives. James and I moved our family to Issaquah five years ago, after careful, prayer-ful deliberation. It took a certain strength of heart to give up my dream job at Wichita State University to accompany my husband to Issaquah, and trust God that I would find a new job after I arrived. Fortunately, I landed a position with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) a few months after we moved.

When I think of people who exemplify the love of God, I think of my grandparents. As I knew them later in their lives, they were truly wonderful people—devoted to each other, loving with me and my brothers, and generous in their communities. Their hands were indeed swift to welcome and arms to embrace! My grandmother created my wedding dress, which was surely a labor of love. She figured out how to merge two different patterns, putting that bodice onto this train. She measured, cut and sewed yards and yards of satin, and sewed hundreds of tiny beads on by hand. The love that permeated every stitch must have imparted a special blessing on our wedding, as James and I have now been happily married for 25 years.

In the final verse, we are reminded that God is Lord of gentleness and calm. The Holy Spirit is sometimes called the Great Comforter, and Jesus told his disciples, “My peace I give to you.” As Christians, we are assured of salvation through Jesus. At the end of the day, we will find everlasting life and peace in heaven.