March 15, 2005

More Secure is No One Ever

Karolina Wilhemina Sandell-Berg, 1832-1903

    In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.. Psalm 62:7.

    Psalm 46 declares, "God is my refuge, an ever present help in time of trouble." There was once a young Swedish woman who, like the Psalmist, learned early in life to trust in the Lord's strength each day to help her overcome her troubles and trials. Her name was Carolina Sandell Berg, and she was born on this day, October 3, l832. She grew up to become Sweden's most celebrated author of Gospel hymns, and wrote so many that she is often called "the Fanny Crosby of Sweden."
    Like many Christians, she learned that when pain and tragedy strike, God may use that experience to deepen our faith. When she was 26, Carolina--or Lina (pronounced Lie-nah) as she liked to be called--experienced a tragedy which profoundly affected the course of her life. She was with her father, a Lutheran pastor, crossing a Swedish lake. Suddenly the ship lurched, and before her eyes, her father was thrown overboard and drowned. Lina had written hymns before, but now she poured out her broken heart in an endless stream of beautiful songs. Her hymns mightily influenced the revival that swept across Scandinavia after l850.
    The words of Lina Berg's hymns were all the more popular because of the simple, beautiful melodies written for them, especially those of Oscar Ahnfelt who played his guitar and sang her hymns throughout Scandinavia. Lina Berg once said that Ahnfelt sang her songs "into the hearts of the people."
    Even Jenny Lind, the world-famous concert vocalist, visited factories and sang Lina's beautiful hymns. In Matthew l2:34, Jesus said: "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." Lina Sandell Berg's voice spoke more than 650 hymns from a heart filled abundantly with love for her Saviour.

    Hymns by Karolina Sandell-Berg include:

More secure is no one ever, than the loved ones of the Savior. Not yon star on high abiding, nore the bird in home-nest hiding.

God His own doth tend and nourish, in His holy courts they flourish; Like a father kind He spares them, in His loving arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death can ever, from the Lord His children sever, For His love and deep compassion, comforts them in tribulation.

Little flock, to joy then yield thee! Jacob's God will ever shield thee; Rest secure with this Defender, at His will all foes surrender.

What He takes or what He gives us, shows the Father's love so precious; We may trust His purpose wholly, tis His children's welfare solely.