The Love of The One Who Holds Me Fast
When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast. Ada Habershon
I love the old hymns simply because of the depth of meaning of their lyrics. The hymn, “He will hold me fast,” written in 1906 by British hymn writer Ada Habershon, is one of them. Habershon was asked to write the song by Canadian pianist Robert Harkness after a conversation with a new convert who doubted he would be able to hold on to His newfound faith in Jesus Christ. The words to the hymn give not only new believers, but all believers, the assurance that the love of Jesus will keep us anchored to Him in the storms of life. The hymn became popular again more than a century later when a new melody was written for it and when it was recorded by, amongst others, Selah. If you are unfamiliar with this song, you can listen to it through this link. For this devotional, we will look at the first stanza.
When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast
When the tempter would prevail, He will hold me fast
I could never keep my hold through life's fearful path
For my love is often cold. He must hold me fast
Life’s Fearful Path
We have all been in situations where our trials and burdens weigh heavily on us, and we doubt whether God is really in control. Whether God will come through for us. We fear that our faith in God will waver when we stand on life’s shaky ground. God's faithfulness is not contingent upon our faith in Him. God's faithfulness is unwavering because that is just who He is. It is entrenched in His character. His faithfulness is an expression of His eternal love for us, and nothing can pry us from this constant love. Paul says in Romans 8:38 (NLT),
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”
Nothing can separate us from the love of God that has been revealed to us in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39). Jesus lavished His grace and love upon us when He died on the cross for all mankind. He shamed and disarmed the works of the tempter (Satan) so that he is no longer able to prevail or gain the victory over us (Colossians 2:15). Christ has won the victory! Therefore, we need not fear that our faith will fail; we need not fear that the tempter will prevail in our lives. Even when our love is not constant, Jesus Christ will hold us fast in His everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27).
The nature of God’s love is unchangeable. Ours alternates all too readily. If it is our habit to love God with our own affection, we shall turn cold towards Him whenever we are unhappy. Watchman Nee
Reflection
Have there been times when your faith in Christ’s love for you has wavered? Take time to read Romans 8:38-39 and declare it over your life.
Prayer
Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You hold me in Your everlasting arms. Thank You for gaining the victory over Satan. I surrender my doubts, fears and worries to You. Help me to trust You to intervene in the challenges I am facing. Hold me fast, Lord, so that I will not waver in my trust in You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
