Day By Day
Question: Nancy asks, “Do you know the story behind the hymn “Day by Day? I would appreciate this information. Thank you.”
Answer: In his autobiography, Out of the Depths, hymn writer John Newton makes this practical observation: “Sometimes I compare the troubles which we have to undergo in the course of a year to a great bundle of [fire wood], far too large for us to lift. But God does not require us to carry the whole at once; He mercifully unties the bundle, and gives us first one stick, which we are to carry today, and then another which we are to carry tomorrow, and so on. This we might easily manage, if we would only take the burden appointed for us each day; but we chose to increase our troubles by carrying yesterday’s stick over again today, and adding tomorrow’s burden to our load, before we are required to bear it.”
It is well said. So often our fretting over yesterday’s failures and our speculation about tomorrow’s possible problems robs us of present peace. In discussing the crippling danger of anxious care, the Lord Jesus reminds us, “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matt. 6:34). As creatures of time, we live in the present moment, and that is where the Lord has promised to help us. We are invited to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). And His pledge is, “As you days, so shall your strength be” (Deut. 33:25).
Of course this does not preclude planning for the future. “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it?” (Lk. 14:28). Setting goals and evaluating our resources is one thing. Worrying and stewing over things that are beyond our control is quite another. Even with the best of preparation, tomorrow will have its unexpected challenges–and its blessings, too. We must leave that in God’s hands, looking to Him for the wisdom and strength to do His will (Heb. 4:16). His promise is, “My grace is sufficient for you” (II Cor. 12:9).
One who learned to take each day as it came was Carolina Sandell Berg (1832-1903). Lina Sandell, as she was commonly known, was married in 1867, to C. O. Berg, a merchant in the city of Stockholm. Mrs. Berg was the daughter of a Lutheran pastor, in Sweden. She wrote numerous hymns that were used of God in the revivals that touched Scandinavia in the late 19th century. Her early contributions gained her the nickname “the Fanny Crosby of Sweden.” But one day in 1852 tragedy struck. She and her father were traveling by sea to Gothenburg when the ship pitched, suddenly. Pastor Sandell was thrown overboard and drowned. It is said that the songs which flowed from the young woman’s grieving heart afterward had a new spiritual depth. They breathed a simple, child-like faith, and an keen awareness of the presence of her loving Lord. She had learned the importance of trusting Him moment by moment.
“Day by Day” is one such hymn. It says, “Day by day and with each passing moment, / Strength I find to meet my trials here; / Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment, / I’ve no cause for worry or for fear. / He whose heart is kind beyond all measure / Gives unto each day what He deems best— / Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure, / Mingling toil with peace and rest.” Then the last stanza is a prayerful appeal. “Help me then in ev’ry tribulation / So to trust Thy promises, O Lord, / That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation / Offered me within Thy holy Word. / Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting, / E’er to take, as from a father’s hand, / One by one, the days, the moments fleeting, / Till I reach the promised land.” That is how to deal with all the days God gives us–one by one–with our eyes on Him, and our trust in His unfailing Word.