God Understands

By Bill Dagle

When problems come into your life, do you ever wonder where God is; or more

importantly, does He understand what you’re going through? Well, thanks to Dr. Oswald

J. Smith, the great missionary preacher from Canada, we get the words for a song of

encouragement—a song that was born during a time of discouragement. Dr. Smith tells

us what brought about the writing of the hymn:

My youngest sister, Ruth, and her husband, Clifford Becker, were finishing their first term as missionaries to Peru, South America. During their stay, God had blessed their home with two happy boys. Now, they were coming home on furlough. Soon, we would see our loved ones again after several years of separation. We could hardly wait. Then came the tragic news—Ruth’s husband, Cliff, had been killed instantly in an auto accident! Our jubilation was turned to sorrow. Along with this was the deep concern for my sister of twenty- six and her two fatherless boys, alone now in a foreign land. Far from loved ones—yet not alone, for I reasoned it is for times such as this that God had said, “I will never leave you.” It was at that moment, and I am sure directed by the Lord, that I wrote a poem especially for my sister, Ruth. It began:

God understands your sorrow,

He sees the falling tear,

And whispers, “I am with thee;”

falter not, nor fear. He understands your longing,

Your deepest grief He shares;

Then, let Him bear your burden,

He understands, and cares.

God understands your heartache,

He knows the bitter pain;

O, trust Him in the darkness,

you cannot trust in vain.

He understands our longing,

Your deepest grief He shares; Then

let Him bear your burden,

He understands, and cares.

God understands your weakness, He knows the tempter’s power;

And He will walk

beside you however dark the hour.

He understands your longing, Your deepest grief He shares;

Then let Him bear your burden,

He understands, and cares.

Oswald Smith’s poem for his sister would have stayed that way, but for one thing. B.D. Ackley, piano player and composer for the evangelist, Billy Sunday, obtained the poem and set the words to music—thus preserving for all time the message of encouragement, God Understands.

Here’s the link for more from Bill: https://hymnstories.org/everyday-hymns