Lyrics
Verse 1
HIGH in the heavens, eternal God,
Thy goodness in full glory shines;
Thy truth shall break through every cloud
That veils and darkens thy designs.
Verse 2
For ever firm thy justice stands,
As mountains their foundations keep;
Wise are the wonders of thy hands;
Thy judgments are a mighty deep.
Verse 3
Thy providence is kind and large,
Both man and beast thy bounty share;
The whole creation is thy charge,
But saints are thy peculiar care.
Verse 4
My God, how excellent thy grace,
Whence all our hope and comfort springs!
The sons of Adam in distress
Fly to the shadow of thy wings.
Verse 5
Life, like a fountain rich and free,
Springs from the presence of the Lord;
And in thy light our souls shall see
The glories promised in thy word.
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
High In The Heavens, Eternal God is a hymn by Charles Wesley that praises God's goodness, truth and justice. The first verse pictures His goodness shining in full glory above and His truth breaking through every cloud that veils His designs. The second says His justice stands firm like mountains and His judgments are a mighty deep.
The third verse praises His providence over all creation, with saints His special care, and the fourth says all hope and comfort spring from His grace, with the distressed flying to the shadow of His wings. The last verse likens life to a fountain flowing from His presence, in whose light the soul sees the promised glories. This is a close paraphrase of Psalm 36:5-9, with the mountains, deep, wings and fountain imagery. The language is formal, and each verse takes up a separate attribute of God for thoughtful singing.
Related Scripture
- Psalm 36:5-9 God's steadfast love reaches the heavens and with Him is the fountain of life.
- Psalm 57:1 The psalmist takes refuge in the shadow of God's wings.
- Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all and His mercy is over all He has made.