Finding Words of Hope Through Song

On this episode of Faithfullyliven: the Podcast, as we explore the profound impact words can have on our understanding, empathy, and creativity. We take a closer look at the hymn "Day by Day," written by Lina Sandell, the celebrated Swedish hymn writer known as the Fanny Crosby of Sweden. Her life story, marked by both tragedy and unwavering faith, offers a testament to the power of trust in God's provision. This episode invites you to discover how "Day by Day" has touched lives through its gentle melody and comforting lyrics, offering peace and strength to believers across generations.

Reference for show 
Hymnary.org
101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck (1982)

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Welcome to Faithfully Living, the Podcast, where we learn how to live for Christ in our daily lives. I am Dwan, your host, and I would like to invite you on a journey with me to explore and learn how to be a faithful follower of Christ. Hey everyone, welcome to Faithfully Living, the Podcast, where we strive to encourage you to live for Christ faithfully by offering guidance on how to study the Bible, how to understand the Bible better and how to remain faithful to historic Christianity in a contemporary society. Words have a powerful way of expressing thoughts and emotions and, as a writer, I love how words can turn my expressions into something tangible that can connect with others across place and time. Words help to express ideas, to work through challenges and reflect on the world around us, and then offering a powerful form of self-discovery. Writing inspires because it turns thoughts and emotions into written words, into, you know, written words. Each word is chosen carefully, each sentence is crafted and can hold layers of meaning, helping us to capture, you know, our feelings and make sense of complex feelings, and then for readers and then for writers alike. You know, writing serves as a bridge, to invite us to explore new perspectives, find common ground, inspire understanding, empathy and creativity and you know, as we have been exploring the stories behind the hymns, we have been learning how writers express their thoughts and emotions through words that have been turned into like beloved songs that we sing today. Now, a lot of hymns and songs we sing today are a testimony and they're usually a testimony of God's character or his faithfulness in the life of a believer, specifically the writer of the hymn. So today we're going to turn our attention to a beautiful introspective hymn called Day by Day. Introspective hymn called Day by Day. Now, this hymn is known for its gentle melody and its words of trust in God's provision, and it has been a source of peace and strength for many who have sung it over the years. So this powerful and comforting hymn was written by Carolyn Sandalberg, better known as Nina Sandal. She was known as the Fanny Crosby of Sweden, and this hymn speaks to the timeless need for the timeless human need of faith, hope, trust, especially during challenging times that we have. So we're going to explore the background of this hymn, break down its lyrics and kind of discuss the spiritual and emotional depth that has made it a beloved hymn for generations.

Speaker 1: 3:59

All right, caroline Arlena Wilhelmina Sandahl was born in 1832 in a small Swedish village. She grew up in a religious family. Her father was a Lutheran pastor and her deep faith was rooted in her upbringing and it will grow throughout her life. However, her early years were not without hardship. As a young child she suffered from a severe illness that left her weak and bedridden for a period of time, and during this time she would find comfort in writing poems and hymns, and she was also blessed to have a special relationship with her father, who inspired her faith. Relationship with her father who inspired her faith.

Speaker 1: 4:49

Her suffering brought out, you know, a depth of faith that would resonate in her writings. Through her words. She crafted a theology of trust in god. One only felt um sincerely by a deeply personal suffering and hardships that she went through. Perhaps one of the pivotal moments in her life came when she was traveling by boat with her father and, in a tragic accident, her father fell overboard and drowned before her eyes, and you can imagine, you know, the heartbreak and like the trauma and the huge sense of loss, especially, you know, since he was close to her father, someone who had been an example and a guide for her in her faith and despite this tragic event in Lenaena's life. She channeled her you know her grief to deepen her faith and deepen her walk with the lord, and it increased her faith and it gave her words of hope and dependence which she to express in poems and in words, which is how the hymn Day by Day came about the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the.

Speaker 1: 6:41

All right, so let's dive into the lyrics of Day by Day. Here's the verse first Day by day, and each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials. Here, trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I have no cause for worry or for fear, no cause for worry or for fear. So, you know, as believers, you know, we want to always seem to rush the future. You know, be done with the day. But if you have, you know, experienced any trials or challenges, sometimes it takes a lot just to get through the day.

Speaker 1: 7:33

And this hymn expresses the day-to-day that we face when, you know, when things are hard, you know, the words of this hymn expresses confidence that, day by day, god supplies us with strength that we need to face whatever comes. It's like a simple, childlike trust in God's provision. But, you know, with the weight of a life that often we all experience, that is marked by, you know, suffering, and then, hopefully, that suffering can produce faith in our creator and our lord. You know, we're often, you know, have to have the mindset of surrender. And then, of course, trust, and she uses the phrase day by day. It kind of helps remind, remind us that life is often best taken in small steps. You know, it's definitely easy to feel overwhelmed by, you know, life's big picture, especially our responsibilities, our worries, our fears about the future.

Speaker 1: 8:45

But in this, in this hymn, the writer invites us to focus on, you know, just just one day at a time. It's a powerful reminder that we don't have to face every difficulty in life all at once. We can trust God that he will give us strength we need for today, for the moment even. We don't even have to look at the whole day. We just each moment, each minute, don't even have to look at the whole day. We just each moment, each minute. And this, this hymn, kind of echoes jesus's words in matthew 6, 34. He says, therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, from tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of his own.

Speaker 1: 9:30

So the writer of this hymn knew that each day brought its unique set of challenges, but with God's help, she found strength to meet them. You know, what I love about this verse is its calming, assurance verse. In the words that she wrote, she tells us that, trusting in my father's wise bestow, she no cause for worry or fear. You know, in just a few lines, she encourages us to. You know, let go of our anxieties and place them in the hands of god. You know, isn't that, isn't that encouraging?

Speaker 1: 10:09

The idea of day by day implies a steady, constant reliance on God, not looking too far ahead into the future or fretting over what might come. But each day should be a step forward in trusting and leaning in God's strength to carry us. Every day, the Lord himself is near me with a special mercy, for each hour, all my cares he fain will bear and cheer me, he whose name is counselor and power. So this is the second verse. So this talks about the closeness of God, that every day, every hour, god is near, bringing special mercies precisely when we need it. You know, and he's more, he's more than just a distant and watching figure that you know up in heaven. He's more than just the man upstairs, now. This isn't a God who checks in from afar. He's present and he's ready to bear our burdens and to cheer us on and to lift us up. He's an active part and a caring presence in our lives.

Speaker 1: 11:36

And then the phrase with a special mercy for each hour Now that's a comforting line. It suggests that God doesn't just dole out his mercy once and then expects it to last forever. No, his mercies are fresh. It's specific. It's designated to meet us exactly where we are and exactly when we need it. And the word special here is significant because this implies that God's grace is tailored to our unique struggles and our needs.

Speaker 1: 12:06

Now, often we feel burdened by the pressures we face in life and, whether it's day-to-day stress or deeper struggles that weigh on our hearts, this hymn reminds us that God wants to take those burdens from us, to bear them with us and to give us peace. And there's some gentle assurance here that we don't have to carry our troubles alone, and I think many of us can relate to the image of God being our counselor and our power, as she puts it in the hymn. So this part of the verse captures both, like the gentleness and strength of God, his compassion, he's willing to listen and comfort us. But also he's powerful. He's capable of helping us overcome whatever we face. When we know the character of God, we know that he's loving, he's faithful, he's merciful. We know that he's loving, he's faithful, he's merciful provider. When we put our trust in him, he is definitely strong enough to carry our burdens.

Speaker 1: 13:26

All right, let's look at the final verse here. Help me, then, in every tribulation so to trust thy promises, oh god, that I lose not face sweetest consolation offered me within thy holy word. You know, this verse is kind of like a prayer for strength to remain faithful when life gets difficult, and and here she asked God to help her remember his promises so she could hold on to them for hope and peace. You know this is such a good reminder for us. You know we all you know, need reminders of God's promises to anchor us, which is so important that we know God's word. You know it's easy to let go of faith or to not have faith when times are tough, but through prayer and being grounded in God's word, we can stay grounded to know that God is going to be with us in times of uncertainty.

Speaker 1: 14:31

So, day by Day, is a hymn of quiet surrender, and through her words, lena invites us to trust God daily, even when we can't see the big picture. She challenges us to rely on God one day at a time, trusting in his strength and comfort that will meet us exactly where we are. In the hymn, she refers to God's promises and describes them as God's sweet consolation. She knew that the Bible is filled with promises of hope, strength and comfort, and through her words, she was asking God to help her hold on to those, even in moments of difficulty. She also reminds us of the peace that faith can bring when life moments are, like I said, difficult and also when life feels overwhelming. Also, when life feels overwhelming, you know we have and will face challenging and hard times in our life.

Speaker 1: 15:42

And if you've never heard this hymn, I pray that Nina Sandel's words, day by day, resonates with you and bring you comfort in your own journey. And may we, like her, find our strength to meet our trials and the peace that comes from trusting God and God's constant care. We have the full assurance that we can place our trust in God and take life, you know, one day at a time. So I hope this story behind the hymn, day by day, is an inspiring is an inspiring one. Thank you for joining me on this episode and until next time, remember God is always good and he's always faithful. Thank you for listening to the podcast. Do me a favor by following the podcast and leaving a review to help spread the word. I look forward to hearing from you.