Arthur W. Pink (1886–1952)

Arthur Walkington Pink was a careful English Bible expositor whose ministry was marked by earnest reverence for God’s sovereign rule and the ordinary means of grace. Though he preached at times, his most enduring work came through written exposition—especially on the character of God, the new birth, and the believer’s perseverance. In his later years he lived in relative obscurity on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, where pastoral concern continued to flow through letters and manuscripts rather than public acclaim.

April 14, 1940 Letter

On April 14, 1940, with Europe in upheaval and the Second World War intensifying, Pink wrote a line of quiet strength: “Nothing is too great and nothing is too small to commit into the hands of the Lord.” His counsel did not minimize danger; it placed danger, duty, and daily weakness under the Father’s reign. Pink’s words steady the conscience: the same God who governs nations also numbers hairs, hears prayers, and appoints mercies in the smallest corners of a believer’s life.

Counsel for an Unsettled World

In 1940, many faced blackouts, rationing, separation, and the dread of sudden loss. Pink pointed believers away from frantic control and toward confident supplication. The heroism he commended was not loud self-confidence, but steadfast trust expressed in persevering prayer, patient obedience, and a refusal to let fear become a master. Scripture gives the same invitation: “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). And again, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6).

Legacy of Childlike Trust

Pink’s sentence endures because it joins two truths believers often separate: God’s absolute sovereignty and His tender fatherly care. National crises belong on the prayer list, and so do discouragements, temptations, family needs, work burdens, and hidden griefs. To place “too great” and “too small” into the Lord’s hands is to confess that prayer is not a last resort but a daily privilege—and that the God who rules all things also lovingly tends His people.