How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord

1
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
2
“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.”
3
“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.”
4
“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”
5
“E’en down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And then, when grey hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.”
6
“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake!”
53
John Purdie

Sarasota, Florida, United States

This hymn, a top favourite, for more than 85 years! has always been a great source of comfort and encouragement to me, and my family, All stanzasI have memorized, except #5, which I personally do not think is of the same calibre, or Scriptural content as the other five!

Each line, is a sermon in itself, but

stanzas #3 & #4 ..... especially stand out

in my memory, over many, many years!

I love this hymn!

Ian

When through the deep waters

I call thee to go

The rivers of woe

Shall not thee overflow

For I will be with thee

Thy troubles to bless

And sanctify to thee

Thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials

Thy pathways shall lie

My grace all sufficient

Shall be thy supply

The flame shall not hurt thee,

My only design

Thy dross to consume

And thy gold to refine.

Finally....

I'll never, no never, no never forsake!


Bob Arvin

Monroe, Michigan, United States

This is the hymnal that begins every "Thru The Bible" broadcast by Dr. J. Vernon McGee.


H.I

Austin, TX, United States

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,

I will not, I will not desert to his foes;

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake!

Praise Him!


Racquel

Seneca Falls, NY, United States

This is one of the few songs that my 5 month will fall asleep to


Pam

Millington, TN, United States

The tune "O Come, All Ye Faithful" is the alternate tune to this hymn. That is the tune we learned when I was a child. : )

Try it! It's beautiful. In the back of your mind you can add the thought: O come, let us adore Him - Christ, the Lord. Isn't He worthy of all praise!


Christinia

Pearland, TX, United States

This hymn was and is a favorite. Just read my devotions in Jesus Calling and read Isaiah 40:10. I cannot read that verse without singing this hymn, especially verse 2. Now as I see their verse 5 I am smiling more. I am now older, 72. I never sang that verse in church we went straight to verse 6 as our last one. I can appreciate this verse five now and enjoy the promise of God and His word even more. So glad The Lord is with us always, and through all our good and bad days. Amen


Mariegel Dalaguete

Leduc, Alberta, Canada

Carol, you can also see the alternate tune with video being link here, under thr last stanza, press on that camera/video button, it will link you to youtube video of the hymn..


Ana Lara

Storrs, Connecticut, United States

A bookseller, George Keith, who flourished in business in London about the same time as James Hutton, is credited with the authorship of this hymn.

This hymn which originally consisted of seven stanzas, first appeared in a collection published by Dr. Rippon in 1787, under the title of “Exceeding great and precious promises, ” and bearing the single initial “K” as the author’s signature. Subsequent editions gave no clue to the authorship, and for some years the verses were ascribed to an unknown person by the name of Keen. The origin of the hymn has been the subject inquiry but now most hymnologists assign “How firm a foundation” to George Keith. He was the son-in-law of Dr. John Gill, a popular preacher in his day. George led the singing in Gill’s congregation for many years.

An interesting story relating to this hymn which was taken from the “Western Sketch Book,” describes a visit to the American soldier and statesman, General Andrew Jackson, “The old hero was very frail and had the appearance of extreme old age; but he was reposing with calmness and confidence on the promise and covenant of God.” During the conversation, Jackson turned to his friend and said: “There is a beautiful hymn on the subject of the exceeding great and precious promises of God to His people. It was the favorite hymn of my dear wife till the day of her death. It commences with the words: ‘How firm a foundation.’ I wish you would sing it now.” So the small company sang the entire hymn, the old soldier mechanically beat time as the song proceeded; then, on the last stanza, his voice rose up above the others with the reassuring words:

“He’ll never-no, never-no, never forsake!”


Carol Cundiff

Cary, North Carolina, United States

When you hit the play button, it plays "O Come All Ye Faithful"


John W

Baltimore, MD, United States

Wonderful hymn of comfort and encouragement. Just sang it out loud as I prepare to sleep.