You may or may not be aware of a man who lived over 350 years ago, his name was Martin Rinkart & he was a German pastor who lived through one of the bloodiest times in modern history, what has been called the thirty-years war. The suffering & death that occurred during this time can hardly be described, but as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, pastor Rinkart stayed with his little flock that suffered untold persecution & pain themselves, unto the end. Not long after the war ended & peace came to the war-riddled area, pastor Rinkart left this world & went to be with his Savior. Yet while here, he accomplished more good than we could imagine. One of the most lasting blessings we have from the crucible of suffering brother Rinkart endured is a beautiful Thanksgiving hymn that has quickly become my very favorite, titled Now Thank We All Our God actually written during a time of intense suffering & heartbreak for pastor Rinkart & his people. The weary pastor had been literally performing funerals for his people all day long, & nearly collapsed from the heartache, yet through it all, the Lord brought this beautiful hymn from his heart. If you have the chance, check this beautiful hymn out on YouTube, there is a great version of it played masterfully by Dr. Sean Jackson on the organ. It will be well worth your time. It is amazing how much grace our wonderful Savior can give when we trust Him for it!! A truly joyous Thanksgiving to you all, & may the Lord bless you!
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Hello Brother David,
Some great hymns were written under great stress or even persecution. I love 'It is Well with my Soul'. The song was written by a man who lost his only son to scarlet fever when the boy was only 4 years old. The man also lost money one year later, as one of his holdings was destroyed in the Chicago fire.
After that, he, his wife, and 4 daughters moved. 2 years later, the wife and 4 daughters were involved in some boating accident. The wife survived but the 4 daughters drowned.
When the husband received word was when he took a ship out to the area of the accident and penned these words:
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving Brother!
Bro. Dave,
I'm so glad to hear from you, & also thankful that you mentioned that hymn. It's one of my wife & my favorites as well. Horatio Spafford, the writer, who no doubt was a Godly believer, for whatever reason, toward the end of his life, reportedly snapped mentally & is said to have embraced some very strange beliefs. That's another case of the grace of God in our eternal security. No matter how we may veer from the path, God's grace is sufficient & the Anchor holds. Have a great Thanksgiving brother!
I did not know that he went off into some strange beliefs, but only that through such hardships that he penned such beautiful words.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Dave
Today has been a blessed day, & I trust it has for you & yours as well. God Bless you.
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