On this date in 1820, hymn writer Elvina Hall was born. Her best known hymn came about as a result of being bored in church. Sitting up in the choir loft, thinking to herself how long-winded her pastor was that morning, she wrote these words on the fly leaf of her hymnal:
I hear the Savior say
Thy strength indeed is small
Child of weakness, watch and pray
Find in me thine all in all.
Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow
Maybe it was the feeling of not having the strength for such a long sermon. Maybe it was the understanding that if Jesus paid it all, our allegiance, our focus, our attention, and our devotion are owed to him.
Maybe through a long sermon. Or maybe, just maybe, instead of one.
Parents, next time you see your children scribbling away on the back of an offering envelope, go easy on them. It could be they are writing the next great hymn of the church is going to be written.
However, if it’s the inside cover of a hymnal, they had better be.
Information for this post came from Christianity.com
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