Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (1867)
Walter Chalmers Smith (1824-1908) published this great work of theological poetry for the first time in Hymns of Christ and the Christian Life (1867). Smith’s aim was to express in human language the nature and character of the inexpressible God as revealed in Holy Scripture, the one who describes himself as the great, I Am, Yahweh.
Immortal, invisible, God only wise; In light inaccessible, hid from our eyes; Most holy, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, Your great Name we praise.
The opening stanza describes God’s divine nature. God lives forever, unthreatened by death, as the perfectly wise, imperceivable One. He dwells in his unapproachable glorious light, unreachable by his creatures. There is no being like him, inexpressibly holy and glorious. Smith concludes, the that the eternal Ancient of Days, having no beginning or end, is worthy of all the humble praise his creatures can muster.
Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light; Not wanting or wasting, You rule us in might. Your Justice, like mountains high soaring above, Your Clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.
In the second stanza, Smith turns to the glorious will and action of this God. God never tires from fulfilling his purposes and always acts with deliberate unhurriedness, nor have his purposes ever been frustrated by his own weakness. He has never expended his energy needlessly. His sovereign rule is full of perfect justice as high as the mountains, and overflowing with love and goodness toward all his creatures.
All life comes from You Lord, to both great and small; In all life, You live Lord, the true life of all; We blossom and flourish but quickly grow frail; We wither and perish, but You never fail.
The third stanza describes God as the fount of all life. From the smallest insect to the greatest sea creature, the babe in its mother’s womb, and the elderly man, all receive their life, breath, and existence from God himself. He is the very author of life itself, having his own life from himself, not dependent upon anyone or anything. Though the life of his creatures fades away, he will never age, wither, or die.
Great Father of Glory, pure Father of Light; Your angels adore You, all veiling their sight; All praise we will render, oh Father of Grace; Till one day, in splendor, we see face to face!
Smith concludes this beautiful and profound hymn with the only response suitable after reflecting on the Glorious God’s nature and character, praise. Though the angels, glorious and spiritual as they are, hide their faces from the majestic and thrice holy Father of Glory and Light, yet, we will one day see the Lord in his splendor, face to face. What a glorious thought? The one who we cannot now reach, we cannot now see, this inexpressible, only wise God, we will one day see face to face. How can this be? Because he is also the Father of Grace; though we could never reach him, his has drawn near to us as the Word made flesh. Until that day when we see him, we will render all praise, all adoration, all honor, to him as his people, redeemed by the Father of Grace.
Pastor Cole