Karolina “Lina” Sandell was born on October 3, 1832 in a small town in Sweden. Her father was a Lutheran pastor sympathetic to the growing pietist movement and raised Lina in a faith that emphasised the grace and warmth of God. Throughout her life, she wrote over 2000 hymn texts and poems (earning her the title the “Fanny Crosby of Sweden”) and worked as an editor at the Evangelical National Foundation, a mission organisation within the Lutheran Church of Sweden. This hymn was written quite early in her life, perhaps as young as 17. An old tradition relates that she wrote the hymn while seated on the branch of a large ash tree that stood in the parsonage yard. From that spot on warm summer evenings she could listen to the content twitter of the birds as they hid in their nests among the green leaves, and from there she could watch the stars as they began to appear. Her impressions fortified the biblical concepts of the security of God’s children.

Children of the heav’nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish.
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Praise the Lord in joyful numbers,
Your Protector never slumbers;
At the will of your Defender
Ev’ry foeman must surrender.

Though He giveth or he taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.

¹umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-children-of-the-heavenly-father-bjorlin