R. Kelso Carter, author and composer, wrote this testimony
of his life:
“I was surrounded by Christian influences. My father stood for nearly half a century in the rank of Christian workers in Baltimore; by his side I had the example of a patient, loving mother. I cannot remember when I was not subject to deep convictions of sin; yet as a school-boy, I wandered from the truth until age fifteen, when, under the influence of the cadet prayer-meeting in the PA Military Academy, I made a profession of faith in Jesus.
"But I made a common mistake; I didn’t forsake my old companions and habits, and for fourteen years I lived the up-and-down experience so familiar to the average church member. I never enjoyed myself so much as when working in Mr. Moody’s meetings in Baltimore; yet even up to that time I was continually slipping and falling. My soul cried for deliverance, and God’s unlimited promises stood out like stars above me. But I wasn’t willing to pay the price.
"In the summer of 1879, my heart, which had been chronically diseased for seven years, resisting the remedies of physicians, and refusing to grow better even after three years of sheep-ranching in California, suddenly broke down so seriously as to bring me to the verge of the grave. I had heard of the ‘prayer of faith’ for healing, but I felt persuaded it would border on blasphemy to ask God for a strength which I didn’t propose to use wholly for Him.
"Kneeling in my mother’s room in Baltimore, I made a consecration that covered everything. All doubtful things were swept aside. I meant every word, and I have never had any doubts about it since. A quietness came over me and I found the Bible wonderfully open and marvelously satisfying, as it had never been before.
"Feeling all the more impressed with God’s healing promises, I decided to go to Boston and ask for prayer and anointing at the hands of Dr. Cullis. I was terribly weak, but I went. I will only add that I returned in three days, walking by faith, and not by feeling. I resumed my college work in September, and at once engaged in all kinds of religious work. I was healed by the power of God alone. Praise the Lord!”
After his healing Carter vowed to be used for God and this became the principle of his life “to stand on God’s promise.”
Russell Kelso Carter was born on November 18, 1849, in Baltimore. MD and died on August 23, 1928, in Catonsville, MD. During his student days, he was known as an outstanding athlete.
In 1887, he was ordained into the Methodist ministry and became an active leader in the Holiness Camp Meeting Movement. Throughout his entire life, Carter was known as a most interesting, versatile individual. In addition to being a Methodist minister, he was a professor of chemistry, natural science, civil engineering, and mathematics for a number of years at the Pennsylvania Military Academy.
He was also a sheep rancher in California for a period of time, a publisher of a number of textbooks in his various teaching disciplines, as well as the author of several novels, and an assistant in the compilation of the Christian and Missionary Alliance hymnal. "Hymns of the Christian Life," was a hymnal in which he contributed sixty-eight original tunes and fifty-two poems. In his later years, he decided to study medicine and become a practicing physician in Baltimore, MD.
Carter begins each verse with the reminder: “Standing on the Promises.” He would claim 2 Corinthians 1:20 as his anchor: “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ. And so through Him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God.”
Biblehub.com, The Treasury of David: “Sing praises." What jubilation is here, when the whole earth is called upon to sing to God! He is worthy, He is Creator, He is goodness itself. Sing praises; keep on with the glad work. Never let the music pause. He never ceases to be good, let us never cease to be grateful . . . "Sing praises unto our King." Let Him have all our praise; no one ought to have even a particle of it. Jesus shall have it all. Let His sovereignty be the fount of gladness. It is a sublime attribute, but full of bliss to the faithful. Let our homage be paid not in groans but in songs . . . Let all hearts . . . sing and sing on forever, for there is everlasting reason for thanksgiving while we dwell under the shadow of such a throne.
Bibliaplus.org, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Bible: We must commit our ways and works to the Lord; let Him do as seemeth Him good and let us be satisfied. To cast our burden upon God, is to rest upon His providence and promise. And if we do so, He will carry us in the arms of His power, as a nurse carries a child; and will strengthen our spirits by His Spirit, so that they shall sustain the trial. He will never suffer the righteous to be moved; to be so shaken by any troubles, as to quit their duty to God, or their comfort in Him. He will not suffer them to be utterly cast down. He, who bore the burden of our sorrows, desires us to leave to Him to bear the burden of our cares, that, as He knows what is best for us, He may provide it accordingly. Why do not we trust Christ to govern the world which He redeemed.”
Christian.net, Erika Dannie: The promises of God in the Bible assure us that there will always be sunshine after all the storms in our lives. These promises will feed our souls and strengthen us to endure the hardships that come our way. Knowing what God has in store for us is essential . . . He permits hardships and turmoil to strengthen us. The strength that we gain through endurance will help us as we walk through the journey of life. And at the end of this journey we should realize how God fulfills every promise and covenant that He made and declared. Awareness of God’s promises help us to be thankful even for the afflictions that may come our way.
Gotquestions.org; Your questions. Biblical Answers" In the Gospels, Jesus speaks of those who have “ears to hear” at the end of a difficult saying or parable . . . there is a difference between having ears and having "ears to hear" . . . Whenever Jesus says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear,” He is calling for people to pay careful heed. It’s another way of saying, “Listen up! Pay close attention!” . . . Who is “he who has ears”? The simple answer: all people who have been, or are being given, the Words of God . . . Jesus’ simple request is that we use our God-given faculties (eyes to see, ears to hear) to tune in to His Words . . . Seeking God’s truth takes energy and focus; it takes a willingness to be challenged and changed . . . And so He bids us to hear."
We need to know God’s promises before we can stand on the promises! That means immersing ourselves in His Word daily, reading the promises in context (to see who they are for and if there are any conditions), meditating on them, and claiming them! We want to know everything God has promised for us!”
