Lina’s father was a Lutheran pastor.  One day they were crossing a Swedish lake together.  Suddenly their ship lurched.  Right before her eyes, her father was thrown overboard and drowned.  The 26-year-old young woman watched in horror. 

Lina began to pour out her broken heart into an endless stream of wonderful hymns.   As she wrote, gradually she was able to trust in the Lord each day to help her cope with her trials.  Fortunately, Oscar Ahnfelt wrote beautiful melodies for some of her hymns.  He sang and played them on his guitar throughout Scandinavia.  As Lina was quoted as saying, “He sang the songs into the heart of the people.”

We know Lina today as Carolina Sandell Berg (1832-1903).  One of her best know hymns, “Day By Day”, is just as meaningful to us today as it was to Lina when she composed it.  (It’s #790 in our hymnal)

She began they hymn with “Day by day and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here.  Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowmen, I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.”*    As I think about the grief and pain she bore, I am encouraged to see the strength she found in her heavenly Father.     Her songs were written out of her own personal tragedy.  Her songs can encourage us in our individual tribulations.

Our God reaches out to us with his unconditional love each and every day.  Yet we may find, as Lina did, that it is when pain and tragedy strike, that we experience a deepening of our faith.   Remember, he loves you unconditionally in your pain and in your pleasure, day by day!

Judy

*”Day By Day”  words Carolina Sandell Berg,  music Oscar Ahnfelt.