By Heather Mustain
“This Is My Song” is a hymn of quiet reverence, not for flags or empires, but for the earth itself and the deep longing for peace that lives in every human heart. Written in the early 20th century and set to the moving tune of Jean Sibelius’s finlandia, the hymn has resonated across generations as a prayer for a more compassionate and interconnected world. It is a song that acknowledges the beauty of one’s own homeland while widening the lens to see and honor the sacredness of all lands and all peoples.
The opening words — “This is my song, O God of all the nations, a song of peace for lands afar and mine” — set a tone of gratitude and humility. There is love for the familiar landscape, for the place one calls home, but it is not possessive or prideful. Instead, it recognizes that others around the world feel that same connection to their homes. Their skies, their mountains, their streets are just as cherished. This mutual recognition forms the foundation for empathy.
“This Is My Song” does something quietly radical: it invites the singer to care about people they’ve never met, living in lands they may never visit. It refuses to rank the worth of one country above another. Instead, it suggests that all hearts are shaped by similar dreams — peace, safety, love and justice — and that God holds each of these longings with equal care.
As the hymn continues, it deepens this vision. The third verse is especially poignant: “May truth and freedom come to every nation; may peace abound where strife has raged so long.” Here, the hymn shifts from simple recognition to a global prayer. It names God not as the protector of one group, but as the God who desires justice everywhere. The plea is not just for peace in the singer’s own land but for healing and restoration across all lands.
This universalism speaks to a theology that emphasizes shared humanity, interconnectedness and a God whose love knows no borders. It offers a powerful counternarrative to division, fear and isolationism. It becomes not just a song of reflection, but a call to action — to live as people shaped by compassion and global responsibility.
“This Is My Song” is not a patriotic anthem dressed up in church language. It is something gentler, and perhaps more courageous: a confession that we belong to each other, and that God’s dream is not for domination but for peace that embraces all creation. It is a hymn that invites us to hold our love of place lightly and our love for others deeply, and to trust that the God who made every land also longs to bring all peoples together in peace.