Standing on The Promises of God
Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let his praises ring;
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.
Chorus:
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of Christ my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
bound to him eternally by love’s strong cord,
overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
listening every moment to the Spirit’s call,
resting in my Savior as my all in all,
standing on the promises of God.
I’m sure many of you will be familiar with this hymn because of its great tune. The author of this hymn, Russell Kelso Carter, had a rather unique background. He was an athlete, a sheep rancher, a professor, a publisher, a physician, and an active minister in the Methodist church. What I find interesting about his background, and what I find interesting about this hymn, is the fact that you have someone that could have stood upon his knowledge/brainpower, or his athletic ability, or his leadership skills, but he chose to proclaim to the world through the words of this hymn that he was standing upon the only thing that truly endures – the promises of God. This hymn reinforces solid Biblical truths – God’s word is true, God cannot lie, and that God stands behind His promises. Those are truths we can definitely build our lives upon.
Couple of comments on the lyrics:
- “When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail” – I like the picture of “doubt howling” because I think that is a good picture of what doubt does. It is noisy. It is distracting. It creates fear. It howls. But the reality is doubt and fear only have the power we give them. Fear and doubt are weapons used against us by the deceiver, but God promises that “Perfect love casts out fear.” Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” What a promise!
- “By the living word of God” – In Hebrews 4:12, Scripture tell us that “The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword…” The Bible is not a dead book written by men that died thousands of years ago. No, it is living. It is true. It is without error. It is inspired. The living word of God, with the promises that are contained therein, is the only sure foundation that won’t be swept away by the howling storms of doubt.
- “Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord” – I like the mental picture of being bound to Christ eternally. As Paul often said, he was a “bondservant” or “slave” of Christ. The beautiful thing, however, is that we aren’t bound by chains. We aren’t shackled with fetters of legalism, ritualism, or blind obligation. No, we are bound to Him with love’s strong cord. Bound to Him with cords that cannot be broken. Another great promise found in the Word.
There is an old devotion book that I recall my mother having at home. I believe it was called “The Book of Promises.” It contained many Scriptures about the promises of God broken down into various categories – Salvation, Protection, Healing, Heaven, Provision, etc. I liked that book because it contained multiple reminders of what God has promised His children, and what God has promised to those that follow Him. However, a promise is only as good as the one standing behind the promises. If a liar promises something, it doesn’t matter if it is a verbal promise, a written promise, or a promise in blood. That kind of promise is meaningless.
However, the Bible reminds us that “God is not a man that He can lie.” His words are true. His written promises can be counted on. They have been sealed with the blood of His Son. So today, I encourage you to open the “Book of Promises” – your Bible. Remind yourself of what God has promised you. And trust that He will stand behind His promises. Then stand up, and sing this great hymn as a verbal affirmation that you are putting your words and your faith into action.