Lyrics Page
Calling Heaven
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Jul 20, 2026 updated
Verified editorial review
Michael W. Smith's song 'What of the Children' is a heartfelt plea for mercy and a place in heaven for the vulnerable and overlooked. It asks about children who have never known love, babies who never lived, seekers disillusioned by church hypocrisy, and the humble who sacrificed for others. The chorus repeatedly calls on heaven for mercy. The song also includes a confession of faithless indecision and a request for forgiveness. It reflects on God's compassion for the broken and the need for grace.
Lyrics Verified by Editorial Team
Chorus:
Calling heaven
Seeking mercy
Tell me there's a place for these
What of the children who have never felt a love
Tender as the morning
Nursing the bruises
And the scars that never seem to go away
What of the babies who have never left the womb
Breathing in the lifeline
Angels in waiting
Gone before they could be given wings to fly
Chorus
What of the noble who are searching for the truth
With truest of intentions
And yet they're jaded by
Hypocrisies behind cathedral walls
What of the humble and the meek that knew despair
And never got their moment
But sacrificed a life of comfort
So that others knew no pain
Chorus
What of the ones who call you Lord
But play the field
With faithless indecision
Forgive us father for we truly
Do not know what we have done
Chorus