Annie Johnson Flint was born in New Jersey, USA, on Christmas Eve, 1866. Her parents were Eldon and Jean Johnson, a young couple who immediately fell in love with their first child.
However, the peaceful bliss would not last forever. Shortly after the birth of Annie’s sister, their mother died at the age of twenty-three. Two years later, their father, who was suffering from a terminal illness, allowed some close friends of the family to adopt the two girls.
Mr. and Miss. Flint did their best to give the girls a good home and Christian education. Their efforts and guidance can be seen in how Annie lived. She became a Christian early in life, studied hard, and became a school teacher.
Illness Strikes Again
Having lost both of her parents at a young age, Annie was well aware of the unfair pain life can bring. In her early adult years, she began feeling the symptoms of what would quickly develop into an incurable debilitating arthritis. Within a few years, the pain became so bad she was forced to quit her job as a teacher. Her adoptive parents passed away soon after, leaving her and her frail sister on their own once again. During these dark times, the cruel whims of life surrounded her like a starless ocean. However, her faith in God brought comfort, peace, and purpose.
How Annie Johnson Flint Viewed The Suffering She Endured
Annie Johnson Flint knew more suffering in this life than many of us will ever see. Her illness never got better, and the pain never ceased. However, her faith and trust in God grew as she passed through the valley of her suffering. She became a well-known writer who published many poems and hymns.
In one of her most famous works, she describes how God helped her through all the hardship and how she saw him working in her life.
He Giveth More Grace
“He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercy;
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
His love has no limit; His grace has no measure.
His pow’r has no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!“
I find Annie Johnson Flint’s story very inspiring and her hymn an amazing reminder that,
“in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28
Thanks for Being Awesome!
Sources
- Rowland V. Bingham, Annie’s Story
- Faith Unlocked.com: Annie Johnson Flint
Further Reading
- Aliens in This World.com: “The World’s Bible”- A poem by Annie Johnson Flint
Thank you
Thanks for stopping by!