Realities and Truth

  Lamentations 3:22 KJV [22] It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. The words of some hymns spring not from a traumatic occurrence in a writer's life but in the midst of the daily routine. That is just the case in the writing of one of the 20th century's most loved hymns: "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." The words of many of our favorite hymns are born out of life-changing experiences. Thomas Chisholm was born in a simple log cabin in Franklin, Kentucky, in 1866. Lacking a high school education or any college training, he became a school teacher at the age of 16 and later entered the newspaper business. The following years found him ordained a pastor, but poor health forced him to leave the ministry. After a time of recuperation, he moved to New Jersey to work as an insurance agent. A prolific writer of poetry, he sent a collection of his poems in 1923 to his good friend William Runyan, a musician associated with Chicag...

2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV [9] And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Most songs were borne out of a faith journey that was often punctuated with various trials. Hardships inform our faith through the experience of God’s grace at work in our lives. Many of us have crossed over many difficult times in our lives and we question how we got over. It could only have been by the grace of God. This great hymn was written by Fanny Crosby (1820–1915). When Fanny was 6 wks old, she caught a slight cold & had inflamed eyes. The family physician was away. Another country doctor was called in to treat her. He prescribed hot mustard poultices to be applied to her eyes, which destroyed her sight completely! It was later learned that the man was not even qualified to practice medicine. Fanny never felt any resentment against him, but be...

John 15:13 KJV [13] Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Every song has a special story behind it just by coming from the heart of the writer. As humans it is difficult not to despair in the face of adversity. However we can draw strength from our Rock and Helper whose grace will always be sufficient.  Irish born Joseph M. Scriven was 25 years old, in love and to be married to his sweetheart. As he was traveling to meet her on the day before the planned wedding, he came upon a horrible scene—his beautiful fiancée tragically lying under the water in a creek bed after falling off her horse. Heartbroken, Joseph sailed from his homeland to start a new life in Canada. While in Canada working as a teacher, he fell in love again and became engaged to Eliza Roche, a relative of one of his students. Once again, Joseph’s hopes and dreams were shattered when Eliza contracted tuberculosis and died before the wedding could take place. From this sad e...

Isaiah 3:10 KJV [10] Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him : for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Attorney Horatio Spafford, a friend and supporter of D. L. Moody, and his wife, Anna, had a wonderful family of four daughters. Tragically, the great Chicago fire destroyed most of his business in 1871. In November 1873, he made plans to visit Europe with his wife and four daughters. At the last minute, he was caught up in some work and sent his wife and daughters first, on the Ville du Harve, planning to join them later. Halfway across the Atlantic, the ship collided with a vessel and sank rapidly. All four of his daughters drowned. Mrs. Spafford survived the accident. Nine days later, she was able to contact her husband by telegraph with this question: “Saved alone—what shall I do?” Spafford took the next available ship to join his wife. During the passage, the captain of the ship notified Spafford they were crossing the place where the Ville du Havre had sunk....