“He’s got the whole world in his hands,” the best place of all
By Dean Collins
He’s got the whole world in his hands.
I don’t remember exactly how old I was when I first heard this folk spiritual. By age 15 I led this chorus around campfires dozens of times during summer camp programs and retreats. No one knows who first wrote this song, known as an African American spiritual and first published in 1927. Many historians believe it was written by a slave. In 1956 Marian Anderson a well-known Black female contralto included it in a concert she performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial while a crowd estimated at 75,000 listened. It was broadcast around the world by radio. She performed outside because the Daughters of the American Revolution had banned Black artists from singing at Constitution Hall.
Marian Anderson in Japan, 1953
Marian Anderson kept this song in her repertoire throughout her career. She performed it again in March 1963 when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I have a dream” speech. Her performance was ultimately honored by the Library of Congress and was placed in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.
Straight from God’s Word
The slaves whose voices first sang this song likely never realized the impact it would have. Hundreds of millions of people around the world have heard and sung this song’s powerful and hopeful message. It’s a message straight from God’s Word. In the Gospel of John, chapter 3, we read the declaration of John the Baptist who said Jesus must increase and he (John the Baptist) must decrease. Then we read this amazing statement: “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hands.”
All things. Everything. The whole world is in his hands. All authority, all systems, all people, all things are in the hands of Jesus. The psalmist tells us that God stretches out his hand to offer us help and to rescue us. Isaiah tells us God upholds us by his righteous right hand. David said, “My times are in your hands.”
Not in our control
Often we think we have our hands around a situation, but time and time again we discover that no matter how smart, strong, or rich we might be, things slip out of our hands and our control. When we lose hold of our life, when our attempted solutions fall through our fingers, it is good to know Someone has everything in his hands.
We have options about where to put our faith and confidence. Some hope and believe the president or the government has everything in their hands. Some believe we humans have enough brainpower and creativity to keep and control everything in our hands. Others think those with the most wealth ultimately have all the power in their hands.
But I’m going with the faith of a slave who first sang this simple and powerful truth from John 3. “The father has given all things into his hands.” It might be a good day for you to sing that familiar song with a heart of gratitude. Eternity will one day prove what Marian Anderson sang in concerts all over the world. He’s got the whole world in His hands.
Your time with God’s Word
John 3:35; Psalm 138:7-8; Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 31:15 ESV
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