I write many words about HOPE. It’s what fills me with the
strength and courage to face each new day. God’s HOPE thrills my soul.
“Reliable HOPE is Jesus! In His life, death, and resurrection, your life is infused with HOPE . . . The One who is HOPE has infused my life with HOPE . . . To find HOPE, find Him.” Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies.
The words to this hymn are simple. I couldn’t find a video
on YouTube. There were many videos with that title, but when I watched them,
the words were different.
Charles Wesley Naylor was the writer of this hymn. From his bed of affliction came some of the most encouraging songs that have ever been written, as well as books such as “Heart Talks,” and “The Secret of the Singing Heart.” In “The Secret of the Singing Heart”: he wrote: “The secret of the singing heart consists in learning to be what we ought to be and in holding the attitude we ought to hold toward life. It consists in learning to adjust ourselves to our circumstances and to be happy in those circumstances . . . It consists in walking with God, believing in Him, and acting out that belief day by day. Doing this we shall ever be blessed.”
Naylor was born on January 8, 1874, in Athens County, Ohio. His mother died when he was eight years old, and he went to live with his grandparents. At the age of nineteen he left the Methodist Church for the Church of God. He worked for a while at the Gospel Trumpet Company in Grand Junction, Michigan and on some evangelistic tours.
He was seriously injured in 1908, dislocating a kidney and other internal injuries while helping to remove some timbers under a tent at a meeting in Sidney, Florida. A short time later he was injured again in a bus accident. In 1909 he took to his bed, where he remained until his death in 1950, having spent nearly 41 years as an invalid. His body was laid to rest in the Maplewood Cemetery, Anderson, Indiana.
Naylor spoke the song lyrics and thoughts the Lord gave him for articles and books into an Ediphone Wax Cylinder dictating machine. The machine recorded them, then someone would transcribe them for publication.
He is considered one of the most prolific and inspiring songwriters of the Church of God (based in Anderson, Indiana) writing 150 songs. Despite being bedridden, he wrote eight books, a column for the newspaper, a column for “The Gospel Trumpet”, and articles for the Church of God youth magazine, “Young People’s Friend.”
Naylor knew the experience of long and intense suffering with no hope of relief from any human source, and with no other prospect for the future than that of remaining a helpless invalid for life. He learned to trust God for the supply of his temporal needs because there was no other to trust. He learned to commune with God by being deprived of the opportunity of mingling much with his fellow men.
Yet he did not lose the joy out of life. He built up the
kingdom of God with his words of good cheer. He demonstrated the efficacy of
God's grace to sustain one and give joy in the very discouraging circumstances
of life.
Biblehub.com, Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible: This world is as a sea; the church in it, and so every believer, is as a ship; the port that is bound unto is heaven; Christ is the pilot, and hope is the anchor . . . Christ is often called hope itself, because He is the ground and foundation of it, and Who is at present unseen to bodily eyes; and the anchor of hope without the cable of faith is of little service; but being cast aright on Christ, keeps the soul steady and immovable . . . when hope is in exercise; the anchor of hope is not cast on anything below, but above; and here it is called the anchor of the soul, to distinguish it from any other, and to show the peculiar benefit of it to the soul.
Studylight.org, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible: God does this, and God only can do it. The fact, therefore, that Jesus did it proves that he was Divine. There can be no more striking proof of Divine power than the ability to calm the raging waves of the ocean by a word. This is literally, “He places the tempest to silence.”
Biblehub.com, Benson Commentary: As all who run a race take care to do; let us throw off whatever weighs us down, or damps the vigor of our souls, especially all worldly afflictions and delights; all worldly hopes, fears, cares, and friendships; whatever would encumber us in running, would impede our progress, or draw us from our duty.
Bibleref.com: Believers today might fear anything from physical injury or illness, to job insecurity, to difficulties in relationships, to political collapse, to the threat of incoming nuclear missiles, and everything in between. However, faith replaces fear. The apostle Paul did not fear an upcoming trial that might result in execution, but he knew the Lord can remove all anxiety when we pray. He counseled in Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." The prayer of faith and fear are mutually exclusive. While believers are not guaranteed to be taken "out of" harm's way, God has promised to see us "through" any harm
Studylight.org, Clarke’s Commentary: This is an astonishing description of the infinitely energetic and all pervading power of God. He spake, and all things were created; He speaks, and all things are sustained. The Jewish writers frequently express the perfection of the Divine nature by the phrases, He bears all things, both above and below; He carries all His creatures; He bears His world; He bears all worlds by His power. The Hebrews, to whom this epistle was written, would, from this and other circumstances, fully understand that the apostle believed Jesus Christ to be truly and properly God.
Studylight.org, Contending for the Faith: Jesus, the Son of
God, has all power; and His power is manifested by His Word. Jesus is not only
the Creator but also the foundation, the sustainer, of the universe. By His
powerful command, Jesus causes the universe to function as it does. The
universe would not continue to exist if it were not that Jesus maintains it.
When Jesus speaks, whatever He wants done is done; it may be to calm the winds,
to raise the dead, to heal the lame, to forgive sin, or it may involve the
creation of the world. Nature and science obey His words. The phrase "upholding
all things by the Word of His power" presents an astounding portrayal of
the infinitely energetic and all-encompassing power of God.
Remember these words: “Reliable HOPE is Jesus! In His life, death, and resurrection, your life is infused with HOPE . . . The One who is HOPE has infused my life with HOPE . . . To find HOPE, find Him.” Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies
Jesus Christ, our living HOPE!
