He Giveth More Grace
Written by Annie Johnson Flint, 1866-1932
Some of the most inspiring hymns ever written were composed by individuals during times of trial and suffering, or whose lives were continually marked by great tragedy. Annie Johnson Flint experienced such a life. She was born in Vineland, NJ, and lost her mother after she had given birth to her baby sister. Her father, struck with an incurable disease, died within two years of her mother’s death, all before Annie reached the age of six. A Christian family later adopted her and her sister and raised them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, loving them as their own. She flourished in this new home recognizing how fortunate she was to be cared for by such loving family. She grew spiritually, developed a love for poetry and aspired to be a composer and concert pianist. She graduated from high school and went on to normal school to pursue a career as an elementary school teacher. In her second year of normal school, she became afflicted with arthritis, while trying to care for her ailing adopted parents. Tragedy struck again when her adopted mother and father died within a few months of each other shortly thereafter. Annie’s arthritis grew steadily worse to the point that she was unable to walk. She visited doctors only to receive the verdict that she would become a helpless invalid. Later in life, she was unable to open her hands and could no longer write but continued to compose many of her poems on a typewriter using her knuckles. From this grief-stricken life, one marked by great suffering and loss, was born the hymn “He Giveth More Grace.”
Stanza 1:
He giveth more grace as the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as the labors increase,
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials His multiplied peace.
Reflective questions: God provides a special measure of grace during our time of need when we trust in Him to meet those needs. Do you believe that his grace is sufficient for your burdens, labors, afflictions, or trials? What promises can you claim in times of need? (Is.40:29, 31; James 4:6; Jude 2)
Stanza 2:
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.
Reflective questions: Why does God lavish us with His grace and why is He able to do it? Through whom does this grace always and only come?
Stanza 3:
His Love has no limit; His grace has no measure.
His pow'r has no boundary known unto men.
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!
Reflective thought: As you “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we [you] may receive mercy and grace to help in time of need” (Heb.4:16), remember to give thanks to God for His indescribable gift of grace!
