Pastor and author, Ravi Zacharias, states that Annie Johnson Flint was one of the best hymn writers in history. He describes further how her life was anything from easy. “She got rheumatoid arthritis till she was twisted up in bed for many, many decades. She had cancer inside of her, she was incontinent and lived on diapers, and blindness started to overtake her.” Through all of her pain and suffering her faith only increased. One of the hymns that she wrote was “He Giveth More Grace.” The lyrics powerfully state how God is the world’s greatest provider and is more than capable of taking care of us through all the times of life He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater, He sendeth more strength when the labors increase; To added afflictions He addeth His mercy, To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace. When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done, When we reach the end of our hoarded resources Our Father’s full giving is only begun. Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision, Our God ever yearns His resources to share; Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing; The Father both thee and thy load will upbear. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure, His power no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again. For non-Christians it may be hard to imagine anyone going through so much suffering in their life and uttering the last line of verse number 4: He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again. There is a story of a weak, old coal miner whose body had been ravaged by his many years of hard labor in the mines. In his humble home there was a table with a small bowl of thin porridge on it. Holding a piece of bread in his coal-stained hand, he was ready to eat his meager meal. But first he knelt beside the table, joyfully exclaiming over and over again: “All this, and Jesus too! All this, and Jesus too!” That is an amazing part of a life lived with Christ. The benefits of having Jesus as your Lord and Savior are too many to describe. All Christians have had difficulties in life and can tell their own story of how God has provided strength or peace. In my first book, Bible Verses in My Pocket , I describe problems and suffering that I have had with Crohn’s disease. I had surgery to remove part of my intestine, my appendix, and tumors. I ended up losing about 60 pounds, but even in my weak state I felt God’s strength and power all the more. It is great to remember that if God brought you to it, He will bring you through it. This of course does not mean that Christians will not experience trials throughout life, but that God will help and sustain us. Reference Stohlmann, M. (2017). The world's greatest provider. Seattle, WA: CreateSpace.
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Micah StohlmannChristian, author, and professor of mathematics education. Archives
September 2023
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