The phrase “God’s Own Country” has been around for hundreds of years.

In the 1830s, it was used to describe England, and in 1860, it was used to describe California. In the 1890s, the author Thomas Bracken wrote a poem entitled “God’s Own Country” about New Zealand. In the early 1900s, the phrase became common for Australia.

In the 1970s, it was used in Zimbabwe to highlight how beautiful the country remained in spite of the war there. In the 1980s, the term was used in a very successful tourism campaign for Kerala, India.

In the US, the state of Montana is nicknamed “God’s own country” for its large sky and prevalence of nature.

People all over the world claim their land is God’s.

Thankfully, we live at a time when God’s name is largely associated with goodness and beauty. Certainly that’s because God’s hands are busy everywhere. Like a good parent, He doesn’t have favorites.

There are wonderful stories of His goodness in languages we don’t know, in places we’ve never been. His glory fills all of the earth, the sea, the universe itself. He makes His home not within the border of any nation, but inside of those who love Him.