"CAN YOU COUNT THE STARS?"
"Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you" (1 Pet. 5.7).
INTRO.: A song that encourages us to cast all our cares upon God because of His infinite knowledge and love is "Can You Count The Stars?" (#573 in Hymns for Worship Revised). The text was written by Johann Wilhelm Hey, who was born at Leina, Germany, a little village between Gotha and Reinhardsbrunn, on Mar. 26, 1789. The son of a German Lutheran minister named H. A. Hey, he completed his studies at the Gymnasium in Gotha where he became grounded thoroughly in the classics and studied the English, Dutch, Spanish and Italian languages, and then furthered his education at the universities of Jena and Gottingen. After receiving a license in theology in 1811, he did various work for a number of years as a tutor and then also became a Lutheran minister with the church at Tottelstadt near Gotha in 1818. In 1827 he was appointed court preacher at Gotha where, for a time, he was very popular and attracted large audiences with his sound gospel sermons at a time when rationalism was holding sway.
As a result of his association with the Pietists, Hey was named superintendent of Ichtershausen in 1832, a position which gave him oversight of all Lutheran churches and ministers in the district. Most of his poems were produced for children, and they include Fabeln fur Kinder, the first volume of which was published in 1833. "Can You Count the Stars" is dated 1837 and came from the second volume of this series of children's poems published that year. Hey died at Ichtershausen on May 19, 1854. Several English translations of this poem have been made. Lutheran hymnbooks have one made by H. W. Dulcken that begins, "Can you count the stars that brightly twinkle in the midnight sky?" However, the one found in books used among churches of Christ was done by the well-known hymnwriter and music publisher early in the twentieth century, Elmer Leon Jorgenson (1886-1968). It first appeared in his Great Songs of the Church (No. 1), which he compiled in 1921.
In German songbooks, the tune (Weisst due wie of Sternenzahl) is identified only as "Volksweise" or folk melody, and is believed to be a sixteenth century German folk tune dating from around 1550. Its first appearance in the United States was in the Liederbuch for Sontagsschulen, published at St. Louis, MO, in 1882. The arrangement in our books may have been made by Jorgenson as well. Among other hymnbooks published by members of the Lord's church for use in churches of Christ, the song appeared in the 1937 Great Songs of the Church No. 2, also edited by Jorgenson; the 1965 Great Christian Hymnal No. 2 edited by Tillit S. Teddlie; and the original edition of the 1978 Gospel Songs and Hymns edited by V. E. Howard. Today it may be found in the 1971 Songs of the Church, the 1990 Songs of the Church 21st C. Ed., and the 1994 Songs of Faith and Praise all edited by Alton H. Howard; the 1986 Great Songs Revised edited by Forrest M. McCann; and the 1992 Praise for the Lord edited by John P. Wiegand; in addition to Hymns for Worship Revised (the original edition had words only); and the 2007 Sacred Songs of the Church edited by William D. Jeffcoat.
This hymn exhorts us to put our trust in God who knows all and cares for all.
I. Stanza 1 points out that we should trust God because He cares for the heavens
"Can you count the stars of evening That are shining in the sky?
Can you count the clouds that daily Over all the world go by?
God the Lord, who doth not slumber, Keepeth all the boundless number:
But He careth more for thee, But He careth more for thee."
A. God knows the number of the stars because He made them: Gen. 1.14-16
B. He also knows the number of the clouds because when we look up on high, we see things that He created: Isa. 40.26
C. And the fact that the stars and the clouds, which are dependent on God's power, continue to operate at all times shows that God does not slumber: Ps. 121.1-4
II. Stanza 2 points out that we should trust in God because He cares for the animals
"Can you count the birds that warble In the sunshine all the day?
Can you count the little fishes That in sparkling waters play?
God the Lord their number knoweth, For each one His care He showeth:
Shall He not remember thee? Shall He not remember thee?"
A. God knows the number of the birds that warble because He made them: Gen. 1.20
B. He also knows the number of the fishes in the water because He made them too: Gen. 1.21
C. Not only did He make them, but He also provides for them and cares for them: Matt. 5.25-27, 10.28-31
III. Stanza 3 points out that we should trust in God because He cares for children
"Can you count the many children In their little beds at night,
Who without a thought of sorrow Rise again at morning light?
God the Lord, who dwells in heaven, Loving care to each has given:
He has not forgotten thee, He has not forgotten thee."
A. Of course, God knows the number of chilren because each one of us is made by Him: Ps. 139.13-14
B. One of the characteristics of little children is that they can go to bed each night free from worry because of their complete trust in God; that's one reason why we need to become as little children: Matt. 18.3-4
C. And while on earth, Jesus showed us just how much God cares for the children: Matt. 19.13-15
CONCL.: The words of this hymn are simple, the melody is pleasant, and the song is easy to sing, all elements of a good hymn. There are those who have objected to using a song such as this in public worship because, they claim, "It's just a children's song." However, all Christians are "children" of God, and we should trust Him as a little child would. Thus, each of us needs to be reminded about God's care and protection for us and our need to trust Him, by being asked, "Can You Count The Stars?"