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Above I see a tree
With leaves and limbs and seeds.
I see the planes and clouds--
The sun now hides in their shrouds.
Along with that fiery ball
Are planets and moons that enthrall
The wise astronomer
And give the spectrometer
Something to measure and view
Beyond the sky's deep blue.
All this in a whirling mass
Of comets and clouds of gas:
Spheres of hellish fission
That leave a child a wishin'
In early shades of night
And bring atheists to fright.
Beyond this cluster there's more
In the universe's store
Of gas, liquid, and matter:
Beyond any cosmic ladder
Reigns the LORD in power,
So, God, I say this hour,
"Thank you!"
Below my feet is grass
That's grown since ages past.
Old leaves feed the roots
Beneath my well-worn boots.
Dust and rain that have fallen
Feed critters creepin' and crawlin':
Ants and moles and worms,
Beetles and bugs and germs.
And then come ancient stones
And a fault line that grunts and groans.
Molten rock is further down
Turning and churning around.
This core of matter gave birth
To well-known crust called earth.
Sheol, Hades, or Hell--
Those there are far from well.
You won't leave me in this grave
And so I simply say,
"Thank you!"
Around me in the air
Of birds and in meadows fair,
Around those high mountains
And cold, clear fountains,
Are herds of bulls and deer.
But now come back, come near
I see the walls of home
and the streets that I have roamed.
Look in the room with doors.
They open . . . see there's still more:
Warm blankets in the night,
And books to read and write:
There are so many things to learn
And so much wealth to spurn,
And so many folks to help,
I can't do it all by myself.
Around the world evil lurks,
But now I'm in a group called church.
We have more than I could dream,
And so I stand and scream,
"Thank you!"
In me you'll find a heart
Beating--that's just a start!
Blood moves from toe to head.
That scar is where I bled.
I've got a gut that can feel
And joints so I can kneel.
I've got feet, so I can stand
And a mind that understands.
Also, a will, so I can act.
For food, a digestive tract--
There's not a part of me that's waste.
There's nerves to hear and taste.
I'm so proud of my tissues and cells
And organs that my head swells.
I've also got two lungs
And in my mouth a tongue
That says by the Spirit,
Lean close so you can hear it,
"Thank you."
God, you're above and below.
There's nothing you don't know.
You live without and within
To keep my soul from sin
And make me a holy place--
All this by your great grace.
You're Lord over everything,
So I dance and shout and sing,
"Thank you!"