January 14-20
He Giveth More Grace
Written by Annie Johnson Flint
(1866-1932) whose life story is similar to Fanny Crosby, another
great hymn writer. Annie was 3 years old when her mother died in
childbirth, though the baby girl survived. The girls' father,
suffering from an incurable disease, gave the two girls up for
adoption to the Flint family. Annie came to faith in Jesus at the age
of 8 and began writing poetry around that same time. She took a job
as a teacher at age 18, but severe arthritis caused her to resign.
She was faced with a lifetime as an invalid; in a wheelchair. She
turned her energies to writing poetry and her most famous one became
a hymn when Hubert Mitchell penned the music. The words to this hymn
are drawn from the following scriptures:
2 Corinthians 12:9 “For He has said
to me, 'My Grace is sufficient for you; for my strength is perfected
in weakness.' Therefore gladly would I boast about my weakness that
the power of Christ can rest on me.”
James 4:6 “but He gives more grace.
Therefore He says, 'God resists the proud but gives grace to the
humble.'”
Isaiah 40:29 “He gives strength to
the weary and increases the power of the weak.”
From her position of weakness Annie
Johnson Flint knew what she was writing about.
He Giveth More Grace
Verse 1
He giveth more grace when the burdens
grow greater.
He sendeth more strength when the
labors increase.
To added affliction, He addeth His
mercy
To multiplied trials His multiplied
peace.
Verse 2
When we have exhausted our store of
endurance;
When our strength is failing 'ere the
day is half done;
When we reach the end of our hoarded
resources
Our Father's full giving is only begun.
Chorus
His love has no limit, His grace has no
measure
His pow'r has no boundaries known unto
men.
For out of His infinite riches in
Jesus, He giveth and giveth and giveth again.
Verse 2 is especially meaningful to me
as my grandmother Anderson quotes it in a letter she wrote to her
nieces during her later years. She writes about the deaths of her
husband “my life's partner” and her son, but follows those sad
words with the words of hope she sees in verse 2 of He Giveth More
Grace.
I found this video of a family choir
and its adorable director singing the hymn.
