Day by Day
Lina Sandell Berg, 1832–1903
Translated by Andrew L. Skoog, 1856–1934
Translated by Andrew L. Skoog, 1856–1934
"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.
Ev'ry day the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He feign would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow'r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"
This the pledge to me He made.
Help me then in every 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."
“Day by Day” was written by a young Swedish woman who learned early in life the
all-important lesson of living each day with the conscious presence and strength of her Lord. Lina
Sandell has often been called the “Fanny Crosby of Sweden” for her many contributions
to gospel hymnody. From her pen flowed approximately 650 hymns which strongly influenced the waves
of revival that swept the Scandinavian countries during the latter half of the nineteenth
century.
At the age of twenty-six Lina had an experience that greatly influenced her life. She was
accompanying her father aboard ship to the city of Gothenburg, Sweden, across Lake Vattern. The ship
gave a sudden lurch and Lina’s father, a Lutheran minister, fell overboard and drowned before
the eyes of his devoted daughter. Although Lina had written many hymn texts prior to this tragic
experience, now more than ever poetic thoughts that expressed a tender, child-like trust in her
Lord began to flow freely from her broken heart.
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