Deep down into the depths of this Thy Name

The history of the church in China shows that M. E. Barber was the first strong witness in China. She lived purely before the Lord and knew much of the cross and the Lord's life. Her deep experiences are evident in the hymns she wrote. One reads, "If there's less of earth joy, / Give, Lord, more of heaven. / Let the spirit praise Thee, / Though the heart be riven... / Lonely though the pathway, / Cheer it with Thy smile; / Be Thou my companion / Through earth's little while" (Hymns, #377). Another hymn she wrote is "He faileth not, for He is God" (Hymns, #693); this hymn is familiar to many people in Christianity. In addition, she also wrote other hymns, such as "Deep down into the depths of this Thy Name" (Hymns, #671), "Via Bethlehem we journey" (Hymns, #628), and "To the foe my word is always, 'No'" (Hymns, #880).

We need to know the truth and have the ability to discern spiritual matters. It is not a sign of resurrection power if we are out of money and God sends money after we pray, or if we do not have a dwelling place and God provides one after we pray. It is not a sign of resurrection power if God blesses us with many children and provides us with the means to bring them up and educate them. Concerning such provisions from God, we can only render praise to Him, as in Hymns #671: "Thou art my God—the All-Sufficient One, / Thou canst create for me whatever I lack; / Thy mighty hand has strewn the lonely track/ With miracles of love and tender care," This is the power of creation, not the power of resurrection. The book of Ephesians is not concerned with God's power of creation; it speaks of the power of resurrection. God's creating power is for arranging our environment, whereas His life power is for His inner working in our life. When we pray for our circumstances, He uses His creating power to manage and arrange all things in our environment. When we pray for life, He does not use His creating power but rather His resurrection power to operate in us. Therefore, we need to be able to clearly discern the two aspects of God's power.

El means "the Mighty One," and Shaddai comes from the Hebrew word meaning "breast" or "udder." This divine title reveals that God is the Mighty One with an udder, that is, the all-sufficient Mighty One. It is first used in Genesis 17:1. In English it is translated as "the All-sufficient God." Hymns, #671 speaks of this name. With respect to this name, God is like a mother who nurses her infant at her breast. He is complete and sufficient.

In the beginning God. God is the beginning of everything. Is God the beginning of my everything? Created. God created things out of nothing; that is, the raw material that He used for creation is "nothing" (Rom. 4:17). "Thou canst create for me whate'er I lack" (cf. Hymns, #671). (Personal Note, Jan. 2, 1939)

Hymns, #671 is a hymn that I treasure greatly and sing often, for its content matches my experience throughout my life.