Feed Your Children God Most Holy
Feed your children, God most holy
This hymn reflects Lutheran confidence in God's providential ordering of creation and emphasis on gratitude as the proper human response to divine generosity. It embodies the Lutheran understanding that all good gifts come from God and calls believers to acknowledge His sustenance with thanksgiving.
History & Background
Written by Matthias Loy in 1880, this hymn expresses trust in God's providential care over all creation. It was included in The Evangelical Hymnal and has remained a staple of Lutheran hymnody emphasizing God's generous provision.
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 720
- Lutheran Service Book — 774
- Lutheran Worship — 468
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 659
Bulletin Note
Matthias Loy (1813-1888), a prominent 19th-century Lutheran pastor and hymnologist, composed this text to express the Church's confidence in God's providential care. It remains a steadfast voice of gratitude in times of both plenty and scarcity.
Preaching Connection
This hymn amplifies the Gospel promise of divine care by transforming trust in God's provision from mere doctrine into doxology, making thanksgiving itself a form of faithful obedience that contradicts the Law's accusations of our self-sufficiency.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Invocation of Trinitarian care progressing from God's providential feeding, through Christ's grace, the Spirit's empowerment, to doxological unity and perseverance
Themes
Divine providence God's care for creation Thanksgiving Trust in God's sustenance Doxology