So it’s been awhile.

Anyway, back in February, the hymn of the month was “Day by Day”.

Where to start with this hymn?

Due to the busyness of life in general, I didn’t spend too much time trying to think over the musical aspects of this hymn. As the video shows, I’m playing off a hymnal journal that was gifted to me by an older sister. I stayed mostly to the script of what was printed with some deviations but otherwise this was a pretty straightforward song to play.

History Behind the Hymn

“Day by Day” was originally written by Swedish hymnwriter, Carolina Sandell Berg (a.k.a the Fanny Crosby of Sweden) in 1865, in response to witnessing her father drown at sea. Oscar Ahnfelt then composed a tune for it in 1872. Similarly to how Billy Graham popularized the hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness” in America, he and Jenny Lind, the famous “Swedish Nightingale” (probably more well known because of Greatest Showman) were responsible for popularizing many of Sandell’s hymns, including “Day by Day”.

From reading a bit about Sandell’s life, Sandell was described to be really close with her father, a pastor. She was known to be a sickly child who spent a good portion of life being bedridden before miraculously making a full recovery in her teenager years. Unfortunately, it would only be a couple years later when she would experience tragedy when she saw her dad fell overboard and drown during a boating trip. I think her life paints a picture of someone who had to practice again and again what it means to trust God, even with a heavy heart. In fact, it was said that many of the hymns she wrote came after her father’s death, probably written from a stance of a grieving heart.

My Thoughts

This is a hymn that many people hold close to their heart. The sister who gave me the hymnal journal mentioned that “Day by Day” was her favorite hymn as well. It was her favorite because it represents how each one of us will face trials of various kinds but to give thanks to God, who promises to be with us through it all and that in Him, we can find strength to meet our trials each day.

I don’t remember the first time I heard of this hymn but it is a very sweet hymn nevertheless. I sang this in lifegroups, I probably, most definitely cried while singing this hymn too.

If I had to choose a verse that stuck to me, it would be the first verse:

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.

This is the classic verse that everyone remembers and for good reason. Sometimes, it does feel like I’m just getting by in life, barely enough for each day. Whether it be dealing with the same old personal struggles or character issues, there have been those moments where I do wonder to myself, “Why is my life this way? Why am I still like this?”

But again, being encouraged to hold on for just a little longer, goes a long way. The basis of that daily measure of strength comes from trust in God and that His plan is for my good. I don’t know the scope of His plan but I know that His heart for me is good. Even in the ways where I am unsatisfied or anxious with the way things are in my life at the moment, I’m reminded not to let those feelings overshadow the fact that I don’t have God’s omnipresent view of my life and that God is still looking out for me because His heart “is kind beyond all measure.” God isn’t against me. He is for me. He won’t let me experience toil and pain without good reason or some redemption.

I can only assume that the things that I struggle with now will make more sense in the future, in hindsight. Maybe I’ll be thankful for the periods in my life where I struggled. I might not see it now but one day, I’ll see it then.