Wednesday, March 22
Standing On The Promises (UMH #374)
 

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.
 
Refrain:
Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God 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. [Refrain]
 
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. [Refrain]
 
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. [Refrain]

 
REFLECTION
This hymn is one of my favorites. I have a happy memory of singing this song when I was in middle school, when our youth choir joined with the adult choir for a service. I was blown away sitting in with the tenors, and not just because at that time in my life I’d never stood so close to anyone who could sing that loud. “Standing on the promises, standing on the promises…” they belted out. I wasn’t sure what promises we were standing on, exactly – the hymn never goes into detail on that – but whatever they were, those men’s enthusiasm was infectious. I wanted in.
 
I had the gift of spending time with one of those men in the last week of his life. It was in that space that I learned the great gift that came with this trust. He had no fear for himself, because he knew with absolute certainty that he was headed to God’s house with many rooms, just as Jesus had promised. In his last moments, his prayer was for the church he had faithfully served, that God would continue to work out those promises in generations and generations to come.
 
PRAYER
Faithful God, help me to trust in your promises. When I have fallen, help me to stand. And when I am standing firm, help me to sing with strength and conviction, to share this confidence with those who need hope. Amen.
 
Dan Eschliman is the Director of Worship.