JESUS PAID IT ALL

We may tend to think that only those who are very musical or scholars of Biblical truth will be used to write poems or hymns;  our hymn story today is about a lay woman named Elvina Hall. 

Elvina and her husband served in their church for more than 40 years.  She wrote the words of her hymn, JESUS PAID IT ALL, one Sunday morning in 1865, while seated in the choir loft at her church in Baltimore, Maryland.  She was supposed to be listening to her Pastor presenting his message that morning.  She had no paper handy but, believe it or not, was so inspired that she scribbled the words flowing to her mind on the flyleaf of the church hymnal!

Rev. George Schrick was a faithful servant of Jesus Christ and was simply following God’s call to ministry. It is told that after the service, she sheepishly apologized to her Pastor for not fully listening to his message…and for using the hymnal flyleaf to record her words.  Pastor George assured her that he was not upset; in fact, her spiritual inspiration was proof that when the Word of God finds root in our lives, it stimulates our creative abilities and allows the Holy Spirit to use us to bring great spiritual blessings to His people.

Additionally, the pastor pulled out some music from his own Bible and suggested that this tune recently given to him and composed by the church organist, John Grape, might just be the music for her poem.  John Grape, was a successful coal merchant and as he once stated, “dabbled in music for my own amusement." 

Again, we marvel at the workings of God on our behalf; an obscure woman scribbles a poem on the fly leaf of her church hymnal, an amateur church musician unknowingly creates a matching tune, an unknown pastor provides his encouragement…and another hymn is born.  Their hymn has since found an important place in many church hymnals and has ministered to countless people for over a century!  That is just like God!!

What joy to know that Jesus has done what we ourselves could not do.  Jesus has paid it all!