I Can’t Count Them All

Swedish author Lina Sandell-Berg grew up with an abiding trust in God. As a young girl, she was bedridden for almost a year. When she miraculously recovered, she expressed her gratitude by writing and publishing spiritual poetry. She wrote faith-filled poetry most of her life and is still one of Sweden’s most beloved hymn writers.

This hymn was inspired by a children’s picture-book illustration of a boy working intently on his slate, presumably struggling with a math problem. Sandell-Berg realized that some things cannot be weighed, measured, or counted at all—namely, the proofs of God’s goodness that sparkle all around us like morning dewdrops, infinite and unquantifiable. Even when the darkness of the world threatens to overwhelm us, God’s mercies are as constant and steady as the stars that fill the night sky.

Sandell-Berg titled her poem “Jag kan icke räkna dem alla” (“I cannot count them all”). The Swedish organist Albert Lindström set the poem’s text to music. It has been included in the Swedish hymnbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1993.

Find lyrics, sheet music, and recordings for I Can’t Count Them All

Scriptures

Principles

Because the Lord is loving, He shows mercy and gives countless gifts to us.
We can find evidence of the Lord’s mercy and gifts all around us.
The Lord’s mercies and gifts help dispel darkness and fear.
When we recognize the many mercies and gifts God has given, we desire to offer our gratitude to Him.

Questions to Ponder

What evidence of the Lord’s blessings and mercies have you seen in your life?
Why is it important to recognize that we do not need to be perfect in order to receive the Lord’s mercies and gifts?
How can you show gratitude to the Lord for the mercies and gifts you receive?

Related Gospel Study Guides

From Topics and Questions, Gospel Library:

Activities for Families

Share experiences of the Lord’s mercies. Help your children recognize and feel grateful for the Lord’s mercies in their lives. Place a small container, writing utensils, and paper in a visible spot in your home. Each day for a week, invite family members to write or draw one mercy or blessing they experienced and place it in the container. At the end of the week, read and count the blessings together. Review these lyrics from the hymn: “Like dewdrops, they sparkle around me; like treasures from heaven they fall.” Remind family members that the Lord’s mercies are all around us. Invite them to share ways they can show gratitude to Heavenly Father for their blessings.
Teach that the Lord’s mercies are more numerous than the stars. Before evening prayer, go outside together to look at the night sky. If stars aren’t visible, show a picture of a starry sky instead. Sing the hymn together, focusing on the second verse, and explain that the Lord’s mercies are even more numerous than the stars we can see. Invite your children to share how it makes them feel to know that God’s love and mercies are so great, they can’t count them all.