Annie J. Flint
(1866-1932)
…He giveth more grace…
James 4:6
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.1
- The last three verses are quoted by Jim Kerwin in Give and Be Given. ↩
I have heard Ravi Zacharias quote this poem more than a handful of times, and I have never tired of hearing it. Dr. Zacharias went Home May 18th of this Year of the Mask (2020), and I was so glad that he was able to go Home, but of course I was terribly saddened because I will miss the way The Holy Spirit spoke so eloquently and thought-provokingly through Ravi, with just enough of Ravi to flavor the words so you could never mistake who it was upon hearing it. I suppose it is painful only because we are selfish even when we love. AFAIK, Ravi NEVER took the credit for something that someone else had said, and while I fell in love with the poem the moment I heard it, I had to come find the words that—after several weeks of wondering what I could put on my wall (in addition to God’s Word, of course) that just…said it all. So, I want to thank you for providing me with the words that perfectly fit what I wanted to say to draw people in (all of about 15 people) and then ease them into the Word of God, once their hearts are more relaxed and receptive. Because all they see now is BibleScripture, and won’t even chance a second look. If I am in violation of any license (or even possibly- I can absolutely promise that it is private use and that the few people who will see it, none but 1 even uses social media, and none of them will write it down to use).
This is refreshing inspiration.