He faileth not, for He is God

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).

Hymns, #693, "He faileth not, for He is God," is not that suitable because the train of thought in this hymn does not match our subject. Hymns, #437, "Hast thou heard Him, seen Him, known Him," is also inappropriate because the feeling of this hymn is very high. In the fellowship meeting, which does not have a particular subject, we should not use hymns that have a specific subject. Hymns, #720, "God hath not promised skies always blue, / Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through," is not suitable. This is a good hymn to sing to comfort those who have suffered a domestic misfortune. Hymns, #370, "Abide with me! fast falls the eventide," is not suitable. If we sing this hymn to enjoy the Lord's presence when the sun is setting, it would be quite good. Or if someone is dying, we can sing this hymn with his or her family.

After clearing Miss Barber of the injustice, the mission board wanted to send her back to China. However, she felt that the time to leave the mission had arrived, so she resigned from the mission assignments, left the denomination, and came to China on her own by faith. She returned to Mawei outside of Foochow and settled there. She spent most of her time praying. She also preached the gospel and supplied life to the people who contacted her. She was a person who knew the Spirit and life. Several of the deep hymns in our hymnal were written by her and translated by Brother Nee, such as Hymns, #377, "If the path I travel / Lead me to the cross, / If the way Thou choosest / Lead to pain and loss," and hymn 506 in Chinese: "He faileth not, for He is God." From reading her hymns, we know that she was quite spiritual and that she knew how to pray.

Whether young or old, all of us must exercise to do one thing: from the time we wake up in the morning until we go to bed at night, as long as we are awake and breathing, we must set our minds on the Lord. Perhaps you would say, "I want to do this. But whenever I become busy, I forget about this." I admit that sometimes I forget the Lord also. But one thing which I have learned makes it hard for me to forget the Lord: I always call on the Lord. If you would call "O Lord" all the time, you will be reminded of Him. Sometimes you also have to learn to say "Amen." Many times we become busy with something. While we are busy with that thing, we become buried in it for two or three hours. The Lord is gone, and we are lost in that thing. I have learned a secret: no matter how busy I am, I would learn always to say, "O Lord, amen." This kind of calling brings me into fellowship with the Lord.

Some of you drive to work. While you are driving you can call on the Lord. Sometimes the road is too congested. The cars ahead of you are moving too slowly. At such times you have to exercise yourself to say, "O Lord, amen." You may even joke a little, "O Lord, the cars are slow. But You are not slow." The Lord is indeed not slow. He never fails us. If your mind is turned, the songs will come: "He faileth not, for He is God; He faileth not, His grace how good!" If you have such a good enjoyment during the day, you will surely love to come to the meetings. If all the brothers and sisters would live such a life, everyone would surely love the home meetings.