WHAT IT MEANS TO BE "THE APPLE OF HIS EYE"

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE "THE APPLE OF HIS EYE"
Yahweh’s tender care for those who belong to Him

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To be called “the apple of His eye” is to be described as precious, closely guarded, and deeply valued. It is a picture of Yahweh’s watchful care for His people.

In this biblical expression, “apple” means the pupil of the eye, not the fruit. The pupil is delicate and essential to sight. We instinctively shield our eyes from anything that might injure them. Scripture uses that image to describe both Yahweh’s protection of His people and the care with which we should guard His instruction.

1. “He kept him as the apple of His eye”

“He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.”
— Deuteronomy 32:10

This passage comes from the Song of Moses. The “him” refers collectively to Jacob, or Israel, as the surrounding verses explain:

“For Yahweh’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.”
— Deuteronomy 32:9

Notice the actions in verse 10:

• He found him in a desolate place.
• He led him through the wilderness.
• He instructed him along the way.
• He kept him as the apple of His eye.

Yahweh’s care included guidance and instruction as well as protection. He did not merely bring Israel out of Egypt and leave them to find their own way.

The next verse adds another picture of tenderness:

“As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings.”
— Deuteronomy 32:11

Lesson: Yahweh’s people are precious to Him even in wilderness conditions. A difficult journey does not mean He has forgotten them.

Yet the rest of Deuteronomy 32 also records Israel’s rebellion and the judgment that followed. Being precious to Yahweh did not make disobedience harmless.

2. “Keep me as the apple of the eye”

“Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.”
— Psalm 17:8–9

Here David makes the image personal. What Deuteronomy describes concerning Israel, David asks Yahweh to do for him:

“Guard me as carefully as a person guards the pupil of his eye.”

David joins two pictures:

The pupil of the eye: something delicate and carefully protected.

The shelter of wings: a place of refuge beneath a protector’s covering.

David was surrounded by danger. His prayer shows that faith does not require pretending that trouble is unreal. We can tell Yahweh plainly when we feel threatened, vulnerable, or alone.

Related passages include:

“Be merciful unto me, O Elohim, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.”
— Psalm 57:1

“He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”
— Psalm 91:4

Lesson: We may ask Yahweh for the same tender protection David requested: “Keep me close. Guard me. Shelter me.”

3. “He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye”

“For thus saith Yahweh of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.”
— Zechariah 2:8

The setting is Yahweh’s promise concerning Zion and Jerusalem, including His response to nations that had plundered His people.

Earlier in the chapter, He promises:

“For I, saith Yahweh, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.”
— Zechariah 2:5

The image in verse 8 is striking: mistreating His people is compared to touching the sensitive pupil of His eye. Their suffering matters to Him.

The chapter continues:

“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith Yahweh.”
— Zechariah 2:10

And the promise reaches beyond one nation:

“And many nations shall be joined to Yahweh in that day, and shall be my people.”
— Zechariah 2:11

Lesson: Yahweh does not view the oppression of His people with indifference. He sees it and promises to act.

This passage should never be used by a religious leader or organization to claim immunity from examination or correction. It concerns Yahweh’s care for His people; it does not place human leaders above accountability.Teaching must still be tested, and wrongdoing must still be addressed.

See Deuteronomy 13:1–4; Matthew 7:15–20; Acts 17:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:21.

4. We must keep His teaching as the apple of our eye

“My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.”
— Proverbs 7:1–3

Here the direction of the picture changes.

In Deuteronomy, Yahweh guards His people as the apple of His eye. In Proverbs, the son is told to guard the instruction he receives as the apple of his own eye.

The immediate setting is a father warning his son against adultery and seduction. The instruction is meant to protect him from a destructive path.

The broader lesson is that Yahweh’s words should be treasured, remembered, and obeyed.

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
— Psalm 119:11

“O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.”
— Psalm 119:97

Lesson: We ask Yahweh to guard us, and we must carefully guard the instruction He gives us.

His commandments are not something to treat carelessly. They guide our steps and help protect us from sin.

5. Another use: “the apple of thine eye”

“Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease.”
— Lamentations 2:18

This passage describes grief over Jerusalem’s devastation. “Let not the apple of thine eye cease” is poetic language urging continued weeping.

Here, the expression refers to the eye itself in the act of mourning. It is not a statement that someone is Yahweh’s treasured possession.

The following verse calls the grieving people to prayer:

“Arise, cry out in the night … pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord.”
— Lamentations 2:19

Lesson: Context matters. The same expression can serve different purposes. This passage also reminds us that deep sorrow can be poured out before Yahweh.

6. The direct uses together

These are the five passages where the KJV uses the expression “apple” of the eye:

Passage	How the expression is used
Deuteronomy 32:10	Yahweh guarded Israel as the apple of His eye.
Psalm 17:8	David asks to be guarded as the apple of the eye.
Proverbs 7:2	A son is told to guard instruction as the apple of his eye.
Lamentations 2:18	The eye appears in a poetic call to weep over Jerusalem.
Zechariah 2:8	Harming Yahweh’s people is compared to touching the apple of His eye.

Although the English expression is similar, the underlying Hebrew wording varies. The shared image is the pupil—the sensitive, precious center of the eye.

7. Related scriptures: precious and remembered

The following passages do not use the exact expression, but develop the same themes of belonging, compassion, remembrance, and protection.

“Thou art mine” — Isaiah 43:1–4

“Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”
— Isaiah 43:1

Yahweh addresses Jacob and Israel. He promises His presence through waters and fire, and describes them as precious in His sight.

Notice that He promises to be with them through trouble. He does not say they will never encounter it.

“I will not forget thee” — Isaiah 49:14–16

Zion says that Yahweh has forsaken and forgotten her. He answers with the picture of a mother’s compassion for her nursing child, then declares:

“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.”
— Isaiah 49:16

The image reassures Zion that she remains continually before Him.

“Like as a father pitieth his children” — Psalm 103:13–14

“Like as a father pitieth his children, so Yahweh pitieth them that fear him.
For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”

Yahweh knows our weakness. His compassion is informed by a complete understanding of what we are.

“His jewels” — Malachi 3:16–17

Yahweh takes notice of those who fear Him and think upon His name. He calls them His own treasured possession—rendered “my jewels” in the KJV—and speaks of sparing them as a father spares a son who serves him.

“He careth for you” — 1 Peter 5:7

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

The invitation is personal: bring your burdens to Him because your welfare matters to Him.

8. Related scriptures: watched over and held securely

Psalm 121:3–8: Yahweh neither slumbers nor sleeps. He watches over His people’s going out and coming in.

Psalm 34:15, 18–19: His eyes are upon the righteous. He is near to the brokenhearted. The righteous face many afflictions, yet He delivers them.

Matthew 10:29–31: Yeshua teaches that the Father notices even a sparrow’s fall, knows the number of our hairs, and values His disciples.

John 10:27–29: Yeshua’s sheep hear His voice and follow Him. He describes their security in His hand and in His Father’s hand.

Romans 8:35–39: Tribulation, persecution, danger, and even death cannot separate believers from Yahweh’s love in Messiah Yeshua.

Hebrews 13:5–6: Yahweh’s promise never to leave or forsake His people gives them courage to trust Him.

These passages show that His care is attentive and enduring. They also show that being loved by Yahweh does not mean being spared every sorrow.

9. Precious to Him, yet still corrected by Him

A loving father protects his children and also corrects them.

“For whom Yahweh loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
— Proverbs 3:12

See also Deuteronomy 8:2–5; Hebrews 12:5–11; Revelation 3:19.

Yahweh’s correction is consistent with His love. He wants His people to turn from what harms them and grow in righteousness.

However, this does not mean every hardship is a punishment for a particular sin. Job’s suffering and Yeshua’s teaching in John 9:1–3 warn against that assumption.

10. How should we respond?

Trust His care.
When you feel forgotten, remember that feelings of abandonment are something Scripture addresses directly. Bring them to Him, as David and the writers of the Psalms did.

Treasure His Word.
Proverbs 7:2 asks us to guard instruction with the care we give our eyesight.

Hear and follow Yeshua.
The sheep in John 10 are described as listening to His voice and following Him.

Treat others as precious.
If Yahweh values His people so deeply, we should be careful with their hearts, reputations, needs, and burdens. See Matthew 18:10; John 13:34–35; Galatians 6:2.

Remain faithful through difficulty.
His protection must be understood alongside the suffering endured by the prophets, apostles, and Yeshua Himself. Our hope rests in His faithfulness, including His power to raise the dead.

“For Yahweh loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints.”
— Psalm 37:28

Questions for reflection

1. What does the image of protecting the pupil teach me about Yahweh’s care?
2. Do I guard His instruction as carefully as I guard something precious?
3. Have I mistaken hardship for proof that He has forgotten me?
4. Does the way I treat others reflect their value to Him?
5. What burden do I need to pour out before Him today?

A prayer

Father Yahweh, thank You for the tenderness You show Your people. As David prayed, keep me as the apple of the eye and shelter me beneath Your wings. Help me treasure Your instruction, listen to Yeshua, and walk faithfully before You. When I feel alone or forgotten, remind me of Your promises. Teach me to treat others with the care and compassion You show us. In Yeshua’s name, amen.

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HE REMEMBERS WE ARE DUST (song)

 

HE REMEMBERS WE ARE DUST (song)

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[Verse 1]
Father, You know how I am made,
The weight I bear, the tears I’ve prayed.
You see the things I cannot say,
And hear me when my words give way.
You know how often I fall short,
Still You invite me to Your door.

[Chorus]
Like a father holds his children,
Yahweh, You are kind to us.
You remember we are fragile,
You remember we are dust.
Teach our hearts to fear and love You,
Help us follow, help us trust.
You are full of deep compassion;
You remember we are dust.

[Verse 2]
As far as east is from the west,
You lift the sins that we confess.
You call us back when we have strayed,
And guide our feet along Your way.
Correct me with a Father’s care;
Teach me the mercy I should share.

[Chorus]
Like a father holds his children,
Yahweh, You are kind to us.
You remember we are fragile,
You remember we are dust.
Teach our hearts to fear and love You,
Help us follow, help us trust.
You are full of deep compassion;
You remember we are dust.

[Bridge]
Yeshua wept beside the grave;
He knows the sorrow that we face.
And when He calls, the dead shall rise—
We wait in hope through tearful eyes.

[Outro]
When I am weak, to You I come.
Father, help me carry on.
Hold me close and teach me trust—
You remember we are dust.

HE REMEMBERS WE ARE DUST (song)

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He Remembers That We Are Dust

 

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He Remembers That We Are Dust
The Father’s Compassion for His Children

“Like as a father pitieth his children, so Yahweh pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”
— Psalm 103:13–14

Scripture quotations below follow the King James Version, with Yahweh used where the translation prints LORD for the divine name.

There are times when we become weary of our own weaknesses. We stumble, grieve, struggle with temptation, and wonder how Yahweh could continue to be patient with us.

Psalm 103 gives a reassuring answer: Our Father understands what we are made of.

He does not mistake our weakness for strength. He knows our limitations, our mortality, and the burdens we carry. His compassion is not based on ignorance of our failures. He sees us clearly—and still calls us to come to Him.

1. “Like as a father pitieth his children”

In this passage, pity means tender compassion. It is the concern of a loving father who sees his child hurting and responds with mercy.

“Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.”
— Psalm 103:8

David’s description echoes Yahweh’s declaration of His own character in Exodus 34:6–7: merciful, gracious, patient, abundant in goodness and truth, yet also just.

A loving father does not delight in his child’s suffering. He teaches, protects, corrects, and helps.

“But thou, O Yahweh, art the Mighty One”—rather, the verse describes Him as—“full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.”
— Psalm 86:15

Yahweh’s compassion is also expressed in these passages:

• Psalm 111:4: He is gracious and full of compassion.
• Psalm 145:8–9: He is slow to anger, great in mercy, and His tender mercies are over all His works.
• James 5:11: He is very compassionate and merciful.
• 2 Corinthians 1:3–4: He is the Father of mercies, who comforts us so that we can comfort others.

Earthly fathers sometimes fail to show these qualities. Yahweh’s fatherly character is not measured by those failures.

“When my father and my mother forsake me, then Yahweh will take me up.”
— Psalm 27:10

Even when human love fails, His faithfulness remains.

2. “Them that fear Him”

The fear of Yahweh includes reverence, humility, and taking His words seriously. It is more than being frightened of punishment.

“The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil.”
— Proverbs 8:13

“Let all the earth fear Yahweh: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.”
— Psalm 33:8

Those who fear Him recognize His authority. They desire to walk in His ways, even though they have not yet overcome every weakness.

Deuteronomy 10:12–13 connects fearing Yahweh with walking in His ways, loving Him, serving Him, and keeping His commandments for our good.

Psalm 103 makes that same connection:

“But the mercy of Yahweh is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;
To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.”
— Psalm 103:17–18

His compassion does not make obedience unnecessary. It gives us hope as we learn to obey.

A child who falls while sincerely trying to follow his father is different from a child who deliberately rejects his father’s instruction.

Yet even the rebellious are invited to turn back:

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto Yahweh, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our Elohim, for he will abundantly pardon.”
— Isaiah 55:7.

3. “He knoweth our frame”

Yahweh understands how we are formed because He is our Creator.

“And Yahweh Elohim formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
— Genesis 2:7.

We do not need to explain human frailty to the One who made us.

Psalm 139:1–4, 13–16 describes His knowledge of our thoughts, words, and formation in the womb. Nothing about our condition is hidden from Him.

He knows the difference between what others see and what is happening within us.

“For man looketh on the outward appearance, but Yahweh looketh on the heart.”
— 1 Samuel 16:7

Other people may see tears and assume weakness. Yahweh knows the grief behind them. Others may see a quiet person and never recognize the struggle taking place inside.

Knowing our frame means He knows both our responsibility and our limitations.

This does not mean every choice is excused. It means His judgment is informed by perfect knowledge.

See also Psalm 78:38–39, where His compassion is linked with remembering that His people were flesh.

4. “He remembereth that we are dust”

David continues:

“As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.”
— Psalm 103:15–16

Our lives are fragile. Strength fades. Bodies age. Loved ones die. Plans are interrupted.

Yahweh remembers all of this.

Related passages include:

• Genesis 3:19: Humanity returns to the dust from which it was taken.
• Psalm 90:3–6, 10, 12: Life is brief; we should ask for wisdom to number our days.
• Isaiah 40:6–8: Human life is like grass, but Yahweh’s word endures.
• James 4:14: Our life is a vapor that appears briefly and passes away.

But being dust does not mean being worthless.

“But now, O Yahweh, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”
— Isaiah 64:8

We are fragile, but we are the work of His hands.

Our weakness should teach us dependence rather than despair.

5. His compassion includes forgiveness

The verses surrounding our main passage explain what this fatherly mercy looks like:

“He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.”
— Psalm 103:10

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
— Psalm 103:12

Yahweh does not invite us to pretend we have never sinned. He invites us to confess, repent, and receive forgiveness.

Psalm 32:3–5 describes the burden of concealed sin and the relief of confession.

Proverbs 28:13 joins confession with forsaking sin: the person who confesses and turns away receives mercy.

1 John 1:8–9 warns against claiming sinlessness and assures us of forgiveness when we confess.

Micah 7:18–19 describes Yahweh as delighting in mercy and casting His people’s sins into the depths of the sea.

A repentant child does not need to hide from a compassionate Father. He needs to return to Him.

6. Yeshua showed the Father’s compassion

Yeshua’s actions help us understand the Father He came to reveal.

“He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.”
— John 14:9

When Yeshua saw distressed and scattered people, He responded with compassion:

“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.”
— Matthew 9:36

He also:

• Had compassion on the hungry crowd — Matthew 15:32.
• Had compassion on a grieving widow whose only son had died — Luke 7:11–15.
• Wept at the tomb of Lazarus — John 11:33–35.
• Welcomed children and blessed them — Mark 10:13–16.

His compassion did not dismiss sin. He called people to repentance while offering mercy and restoration.

Hebrews 4:15–16 teaches that our High Priest understands temptation and weakness. Therefore, we may approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and help in our time of need.

We do not have to become strong before asking for help. We come because we need help.

7. The father who ran to meet his returning son

In Luke 15:11–32, Yeshua describes a son who wastes his inheritance and eventually returns home.

“But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
— Luke 15:20

The son had sinned. His choices had brought real consequences. Yet the father’s response to his return was compassion.

The parable portrays the joy of receiving someone who was lost and has returned.

It also challenges the older brother’s resentment. Those who have remained at home must not despise the mercy shown to someone who repents.

Our Father’s mercy should make us thankful, not jealous or self-righteous.

8. A compassionate Father also corrects

Compassion and correction belong together.

“For whom Yahweh loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
— Proverbs 3:12

Hebrews 12:5–11 explains that loving discipline aims at our good, producing righteousness in those trained by it.

Yahweh’s mercy does not mean that every harmful choice will be allowed to continue without consequences. A loving father cares too much to call destruction harmless.

However, we should not assume that every illness, loss, or hardship is punishment for a particular sin. John 9:1–3 and the account of Job warn against such easy judgments.

When correction is needed, the proper response is humility:

“Search me, O Elohim, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
— Psalm 139:23–24

9. He does not despise our tears

Yahweh’s compassion is especially comforting in grief and loneliness.

“Yahweh is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
— Psalm 34:18

“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”
— Psalm 147:3

Psalm 56:8 pictures tears being kept in a bottle and recorded in His book. The image assures us that our sorrow is seen and remembered.

Lamentations 3:22–23, 31–33 speaks of enduring compassion amid terrible suffering. His mercies are renewed, and He does not afflict from His heart or willingly grieve humanity.

These passages do not promise that sorrow will disappear immediately. They assure us that sorrow does not make us invisible to Him.

Tears are not proof that faith has failed. Yeshua Himself wept.

10. His children should reflect His compassion

If we receive the Father’s mercy, we must learn to show mercy to others.

“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
— Luke 6:36

That means remembering that other people are dust too.

They also have weaknesses, grief, fears, and struggles we may not fully understand.

• Ephesians 4:32: Be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving.
• Colossians 3:12–13: Put on compassion, kindness, humility, patience, and forgiveness.
• Galatians 6:1–2: Restore someone overtaken in a fault with gentleness and bear one another’s burdens.
• James 2:13: Judgment without mercy awaits those who show no mercy.
• 1 John 3:17–18: Compassion should produce practical help, not merely words.

Remembering our own frailty should make us gentler with the frailty of others.

11. His compassion reaches beyond our present weakness

Our Father knows that we are mortal, but Scripture also gives hope beyond death.

“Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.”
— Job 14:15

In Job 14:12–15, Job looks toward a future change and a time when his Creator will call him.

Yeshua teaches in John 5:28–29 that those in the graves will hear His voice and come forth.

1 Corinthians 15:42–44, 51–54 describes resurrection and the change from corruption to incorruption, from mortality to immortality.

Revelation 21:4 looks forward to the removal of death, mourning, crying, and pain.

The Father who remembers that we are dust is also able to raise the dead. Our frailty does not place us beyond His power or His care.

Questions for personal reflection

1. Do I approach Yahweh as a compassionate Father, or assume He is unwilling to hear me?
2. Am I sincerely seeking to obey Him, including repenting when I fall?
3. Have I confused human weakness with being worthless?
4. Do I show others the patience and compassion I need from Him?
5. What burden do I need to bring honestly before Him today?

A prayer

Father Yahweh, You know my frame and remember that I am dust. You see my weaknesses, my grief, and the things I struggle to put into words. Forgive my sins and teach me to walk in Your ways. Help me receive Your correction with humility and trust Your compassion when I am weary. Give me a tender heart toward others, remembering that they also need mercy. Thank You for calling us Your children and for the hope of resurrection through Yeshua. Amen.

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Sowing The Word (song)

Sowing The Word (song)

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[Verse 1]
From my home in central Kentucky,
With a Bible open wide,
I read the words Yeshua gave:
Let the message travel far and wide.
I may never cross the ocean,
But these words can cross the sea,
What a blessing just to share
The hope He’s given me.

[Chorus]
I’m sowing the Word, scattering seed,
Praying it reaches a heart in need.
From these Kentucky hills
To places I may never know,
I’ll plant and I’ll water—
Yahweh makes it grow.

[Verse 2]
Some seed falls along the pathway,
Some takes root in shallow ground,
Some gets tangled in the thorns
Where the cares of life abound.
But some falls into good soil,
Held with patience, growing strong;
That’s why I keep on sowing,
Though the waiting may be long.

[Chorus]
I’m sowing the Word, scattering seed,
Praying it reaches a heart in need.
From these Kentucky hills
To places I may never know,
I’ll plant and I’ll water—
Yahweh makes it grow.

[Bridge]
Yeshua said to teach the nations,
Help them walk in all His ways.
Let me speak with love and patience,
Live the words upon these pages.
One may plant, another water,
We each have a part to do;
Father, guide the words I’m sharing,
Keep me faithful, keep me true.

[Final Chorus]
I’m sowing the Word, scattering seed,
Praying it reaches a heart in need.
From my home in central Kentucky,
With a thankful heart I’ll sow.
I’ll plant and I’ll water—
Yahweh makes it grow.

[Outro]
The seed is His Word,
And I’ll keep sowing.

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