Wide Open Are Your Hands
Wide open are your hands
The hymn reflects Lutheran understanding of God's providence and care for all creation, emphasizing divine generosity as foundational to Christian trust and gratitude. It connects God's material provision with spiritual sustenance, affirming the goodness of creation and God's sustaining presence.
History & Background
Written by Thomas H. Troeger in 1983, this hymn was published in various hymnals including LBW (1978) and ELW (2006). The text emphasizes God's open-handed generosity toward creation.
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 737
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 489
Bulletin Note
Composed in 1983 by Thomas Troeger, a leading hymn writer in the ecumenical renewal movement. The text echoes biblical images of divine provision while speaking directly to modern anxieties about security and trust.
Preaching Connection
This hymn deepens the Gospel's promise that anxiety and trust cannot coexist—God's open-handed generosity unmasks our scarcity thinking and reshapes our whole relationship to material life and spiritual provision.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Christological mystery of incarnation and real presence; from incarnate Word to sacramental mystery to faith's transcendence of outward forms; concluding doxology
Themes
God's generosity Providence and care Stewardship Trust in God