I don't find this to be a pithy statement, it brings me great comfort and reassurance, just like "Be still and know that I am God" and "This too shall pass."
dreamerman
Posted on: 05/16/2010 13:00
Well I heard of God is still on the thrown. I think it was a Salvation Army hymn. Now when I think of God is sill on the thrown it brings up images of an old man with a great big white beard up in the clouds sitting on a pearly white toilet taking a dump.
stardust
Posted on: 05/16/2010 13:06
Hi CH
Happy Sunday!
The famous quote is from the end of Robert Browning’s “Pippa’s Song,” a poem within a longer piece, “Pippa’s Passing.”
It is the song of an exploited orphan girl who was abused by her employer and by society generally. She had to work long hours under terrible conditions. I’m not sure what Browning is trying to say. Perhaps he is saying that even though there are people living in terrible conditions, despite all the injustice and evil in the world, we should still believe that God is with us and, therefore, all is right with the world.
The year's at the spring,
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hill-side's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in his Heaven -
All's right with the world!
crazyheart
Posted on: 05/16/2010 13:10
Thanks stardust
Mendalla
Posted on: 05/16/2010 13:20
It's a long way of saying that all is well. It also carries the implication that as long as God is there, all will be okay even though all hell is breaking loose around us. It's not a phrase that I would use much. Just doesn't ring right with me. If all heck is breaking loose, then all cannot possibly be right with the world, God or no God.
Mendalla
boltupright
Posted on: 05/16/2010 13:26
Mendalla wrote:
It's a long way of saying that all is well. It also carries the implication that as long as God is there, all will be okay even though all hell is breaking loose around us. It's not a phrase that I would use much. Just doesn't ring right with me. If all heck is breaking loose, then all cannot possibly be right with the world, God or no God.
Mendalla
I hate to jump on board on a less positive point, but it is the same with me.
I would choose not to use this phrase for the simple reason is that I find God here with us in our day to day lives.
It's just that we need to look outside ourselves & see deep into others to find Him sometimes.
I see Him in everything wonderful.
Bolt
GRR
Posted on: 05/16/2010 13:34
crazyheart wrote:
What does this mean to you. i don't know where the quote comes from.
"God's in his heaven; All's right with the world"
Just a pithy statement or does it mean something to you?
Whoops, I see Stardust got the Browning connection up before I did.
For me, it's an affirmation, rather like the hymn "Morning Has Broken."
And, as others have suggested, a reminder that sometimes we have to find the moments of goodness, "rightness", even when we're in dark times and places. Maybe especially then.
stardust
Posted on: 05/16/2010 13:55
Ah GR.....I can't resist .....Cat Steven's is here....alls right with the world!
Dcn. Jae
Posted on: 05/16/2010 17:11
crazyheart wrote:
What does this mean to you. i don't know where the quote comes from.
"God's in his heaven; All's right with the world"
Just a pithy statement or does it mean something to you?
To me it means that I should not be afraid of anything in this world. God is Sovereign, and is in control of all that happens on Earth. He either makes it happen, or he allows it to happen, to bring about his good purposes.
Serena
Posted on: 05/16/2010 21:23
To me it is just poetry. It really has not meaning for me.
Although one could say that if God is in His Heaven he has abandoned the world?
seeler
Posted on: 05/16/2010 21:12
I guess I've just accepted it as a pithy statement meant to bring comfort and reassurance - something like Paul's statement that 'nothing can separate us from the love of God'. But when I think about it I see the difference. In Paul I see a powerful statement of trust in God in difficult times and I trust that the love of God will surround me no matter what difficult things happen.
But I can't agree with the first phrase 'God's in his heaven'. I don't think of God as male and I avoid using pronouns that would indicate God has gender - he, his, him. I don't think of heaven as a place, but perhaps as an idea. So no, I can't agree 'God's in his heaven.' Nor do I agree that 'all's right with the world'. If all was right with the world people wouldn't still be suffering in Haiti from the results of an earthquake - there wouldn't have been an earthquake. Nor would there be a volcano exploding in Iceland - and who knows the long term effects of that? Perhaps a lot of crop failure, and maybe hunger? Or an oil well spruing poison into the Gulf of Mexico and threatening not only human and animal life but the ecosystem. And if all is right with the world my daughter wouldn't have cancer.
No, perhaps we need to slow down and 'be still and know . . . God', perhaps we need to put our trust that the love of God is always with us, but no, God is not in his heaven, and all is not right with this world.
chansen
Posted on: 05/17/2010 00:26
The phrase has no meaning, as it is based on no information. Besides, all is quite obviously not "right with the world".
jae wrote:
crazyheart wrote:
What does this mean to you. i don't know where the quote comes from.
"God's in his heaven; All's right with the world"
Just a pithy statement or does it mean something to you?
To me it means that I should not be afraid of anything in this world. God is Sovereign, and is in control of all that happens on Earth. He either makes it happen, or he allows it to happen, to bring about his good purposes.
Tell that to Haiti. Tell that to the residents being hit with oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico. Tell that to the people of Poland in the wake of the plane crash that killed half their government. Tell that to...well...anybody who has seen tragedy and loss. Some comfort it provides.
If you're right and there is a God who controls all, people would have every right to be afraid of Him.
revjohn
Posted on: 05/18/2010 11:31
Hi crazyheart,
crazyheart wrote:
Just a pithy statement or does it mean something to you?
Not necessarily an either/or choice is it? Couldn't it be both?
Certainly some would find the quote to have some point, others will not.
Does it mean something to me?
It reflects my understanding of God's Sovereignty and would function as an affirmation of faith though it obviously is limited in its pastoral ability.
Grace and peace to you.
John
efficient_cause
Posted on: 05/18/2010 13:10
Just to echo revjohn a bit...
A pithy statement is a statement dense with meaning. Crazyheart, I think the phrase/word you're looking for is 'platitude.'
crazyheart
Posted on: 05/18/2010 16:31
Thank you for that Efficient-cause. You led me to look it up and you are so right.
Comments
Audrey.
Posted on: 05/16/2010 12:41
I don't find this to be a pithy statement, it brings me great comfort and reassurance, just like "Be still and know that I am God" and "This too shall pass."
dreamerman
Posted on: 05/16/2010 13:00
Well I heard of God is still on the thrown. I think it was a Salvation Army hymn. Now when I think of God is sill on the thrown it brings up images of an old man with a great big white beard up in the clouds sitting on a pearly white toilet taking a dump.
stardust
Posted on: 05/16/2010 13:06
Hi CH
Happy Sunday!
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hill-side's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in his Heaven -
All's right with the world!
crazyheart
Posted on: 05/16/2010 13:10
Thanks stardust
Mendalla
Posted on: 05/16/2010 13:20
It's a long way of saying that all is well. It also carries the implication that as long as God is there, all will be okay even though all hell is breaking loose around us. It's not a phrase that I would use much. Just doesn't ring right with me. If all heck is breaking loose, then all cannot possibly be right with the world, God or no God.
Mendalla
boltupright
Posted on: 05/16/2010 13:26
It's a long way of saying that all is well. It also carries the implication that as long as God is there, all will be okay even though all hell is breaking loose around us. It's not a phrase that I would use much. Just doesn't ring right with me. If all heck is breaking loose, then all cannot possibly be right with the world, God or no God.
Mendalla
I hate to jump on board on a less positive point, but it is the same with me.
I would choose not to use this phrase for the simple reason is that I find God here with us in our day to day lives.
It's just that we need to look outside ourselves & see deep into others to find Him sometimes.
I see Him in everything wonderful.
Bolt
GRR
Posted on: 05/16/2010 13:34
What does this mean to you. i don't know where the quote comes from.
"God's in his heaven; All's right with the world"
Just a pithy statement or does it mean something to you?
Whoops, I see Stardust got the Browning connection up before I did.
For me, it's an affirmation, rather like the hymn "Morning Has Broken."
And, as others have suggested, a reminder that sometimes we have to find the moments of goodness, "rightness", even when we're in dark times and places. Maybe especially then.
stardust
Posted on: 05/16/2010 13:55
Ah GR.....I can't resist .....Cat Steven's is here....alls right with the world!
Dcn. Jae
Posted on: 05/16/2010 17:11
What does this mean to you. i don't know where the quote comes from.
"God's in his heaven; All's right with the world"
Just a pithy statement or does it mean something to you?
To me it means that I should not be afraid of anything in this world. God is Sovereign, and is in control of all that happens on Earth. He either makes it happen, or he allows it to happen, to bring about his good purposes.
Serena
Posted on: 05/16/2010 21:23
To me it is just poetry. It really has not meaning for me.
Although one could say that if God is in His Heaven he has abandoned the world?
seeler
Posted on: 05/16/2010 21:12
I guess I've just accepted it as a pithy statement meant to bring comfort and reassurance - something like Paul's statement that 'nothing can separate us from the love of God'. But when I think about it I see the difference. In Paul I see a powerful statement of trust in God in difficult times and I trust that the love of God will surround me no matter what difficult things happen.
But I can't agree with the first phrase 'God's in his heaven'. I don't think of God as male and I avoid using pronouns that would indicate God has gender - he, his, him. I don't think of heaven as a place, but perhaps as an idea. So no, I can't agree 'God's in his heaven.' Nor do I agree that 'all's right with the world'. If all was right with the world people wouldn't still be suffering in Haiti from the results of an earthquake - there wouldn't have been an earthquake. Nor would there be a volcano exploding in Iceland - and who knows the long term effects of that? Perhaps a lot of crop failure, and maybe hunger? Or an oil well spruing poison into the Gulf of Mexico and threatening not only human and animal life but the ecosystem. And if all is right with the world my daughter wouldn't have cancer.
No, perhaps we need to slow down and 'be still and know . . . God', perhaps we need to put our trust that the love of God is always with us, but no, God is not in his heaven, and all is not right with this world.
chansen
Posted on: 05/17/2010 00:26
The phrase has no meaning, as it is based on no information. Besides, all is quite obviously not "right with the world".
What does this mean to you. i don't know where the quote comes from.
"God's in his heaven; All's right with the world"
Just a pithy statement or does it mean something to you?
To me it means that I should not be afraid of anything in this world. God is Sovereign, and is in control of all that happens on Earth. He either makes it happen, or he allows it to happen, to bring about his good purposes.
Tell that to Haiti. Tell that to the residents being hit with oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico. Tell that to the people of Poland in the wake of the plane crash that killed half their government. Tell that to...well...anybody who has seen tragedy and loss. Some comfort it provides.
If you're right and there is a God who controls all, people would have every right to be afraid of Him.
revjohn
Posted on: 05/18/2010 11:31
Hi crazyheart,
Just a pithy statement or does it mean something to you?
Not necessarily an either/or choice is it? Couldn't it be both?
Certainly some would find the quote to have some point, others will not.
Does it mean something to me?
It reflects my understanding of God's Sovereignty and would function as an affirmation of faith though it obviously is limited in its pastoral ability.
Grace and peace to you.
John
efficient_cause
Posted on: 05/18/2010 13:10
Just to echo revjohn a bit...
A pithy statement is a statement dense with meaning. Crazyheart, I think the phrase/word you're looking for is 'platitude.'
crazyheart
Posted on: 05/18/2010 16:31
Thank you for that Efficient-cause. You led me to look it up and you are so right.