1. Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise!
2. Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
thy justice like mountains high soaring above
thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.
3. To all, life thou givest, to both great and small;
in all life thou livest, the true life of all;
we blossom and flourish like leaves on the tree,
and wither and perish, but naught changeth thee.
4. Thou reignest in glory; thou dwellest in light;
thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
all laud we would render; oh, help us to see
'tis only the splendor of light hideth thee!
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This hymn is an old and classic reminder that all wisdom comes to us from God. When we rely on ourselves for anything, we are foolish. This is especially apparent if we look at the original hymn's fifth verse:
Great Father of Glory, Father of Light,
Thine angels adore Thee, veiling their sight;
But of all Thy good graces this grace, Lord, impart:
Take the veil from our faces, the veil from our heart.
The hymnist asks God to impart to us some of that wisdom and truth that is God's exclusive domain. We are so lost in our own foolishness that we need obstructions removed from our eyes and hearts in order to see and to recognize truth and wisdom that might actually be standing right in front of us. Dear Lord, remove the veils that block us from seeing your wisdom. Help us to recognize our own foolishness and to turn to you for the wisdom we so deeply need. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Peter Clark, '16
Pastor, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Aurora, Ill.
The Luther Seminary
2481 Como Avenue
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
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