The Civil War tore this country apart…except for the singing of favorite hymns. The author of “How Firm a Foundation”, Richard Keene, was the song leader of a church. This hymn became popular during the contentious Civil War, in both the north and the south. At least they agreed about something. It is too bad that politics cannot be more like music, because in hymn singing, we become one, sensitive and unified with one another.

“How Firm a Foundation” was the favorite hymn of Andrew Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Theodore Roosevelt. Jackson requested that this hymn be sung to him by his bedside, shortly before he died. Lee requested this be the primary hymn sung at his funeral.

Verse 1 states that the foundation of our faith…is God’s word. All following verses describe specific promises that God gave to us.

Unlike verse 1, the following verses indicate God’s promises, and are all in quotation marks, something I had never noticed before:

“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.”

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow; for I will be near thee, thy troubles to bless, and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.”

“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.”

“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I will not, I will not desert to its foes; that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake.”