When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends. James 1:2 J. B. Phillips

All of us want grace, yet few of us enjoy experiencing the desperate need that drives us to ask God for it. I rarely stray from the more literal translations, but I loved the way that J. B. Phillips captures for us the essence of the message the apostle James in this passage. I have discovered that finding grace is often not simply about either thanking God for blessings or enduring difficulty, but it is about the way with which I greet them. Lately the lyrics of “He Giveth More Grace”, written by Annie Johnson Flint, more than a century ago, have been playing on a constant loop within my heart. Though Annie was a brilliant and God-fearing woman, her life was filled with difficulties right from the start. When Annie was just three, her mother passed away while giving birth. Then a few years later, her father also died, though not before giving her up for adoption to a young Christian couple who were friends of the family. Annie came to faith in Christ early in life, and things were looking up as she went on to begin a career as a teacher. But an early onset of Rheumatoid Arthritis, brought suffering into her universe and her adopted family sent Annie, her sister and some cousins on a trip to Switzerland, in hopes that the climate might do her good. Yet after a brief and blessed time of rejuvenation and strength, Annie came down with a fever and was diagnosed with Typhoid. Though she did ultimately recover, the disease left its toll. Yet, in spite of these fiery trials, rather than her experiences leaving Annie feeling defeated, it was during this time that she, began to write the words to today’s hymn:

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greatest
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase
To added affliction He addeth His mercies
To multiplied trials His multiplied peace!

His love has no limit
His grace has no measure
His power has no boundaries
Known unto men
And out of His infinite
Riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth
And giveth again!

Like the Apostle James, Annie had learned that the trials, which came her way, instead of being harbingers of failure, were actually friends, bringing with them God’s unending grace and strength. I do hope you will enjoy our rendition of this hymn. My friends at Watermark Assisted Living know more of what it means to lean on God’s grace than most of us and it was a real blessing getting to sing it with them.