Standing on the Promises – Russell Kelso Carter

This fellow was perhaps best-described as a human jumping bean, or perhaps as a good soldier (see picture here)

who went willingly where he felt he was being directed. He marched from one vocation to another, broadening and deepening his unique experience while maintaining a connection to God. Russell Kelso Carter had anchored himself to the Divine, apparently, by the time he composed the hymn “Standing on the Promises” in the mid-to-late 19th Century. Could his words have also been a portent of things to come in his life, or did the words reflect something that was already ongoing? Perhaps it was both.

R. Kelso Carter was already diversifying his life by the time he graduated from school and began working in the late 1860’s, a blueprint he added to for the next 50 years. He’d been a standout athlete at the Pennsylvania Military Academy as a student, and later was professor of various subjects (Mathematics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, and Natural Science) immediately thereafter. He jumped from there to sheep-herding in California, a period during which a heart condition crystallized something in his spirit, as he felt he was near death. He prayed for healing while trying to convalesce in Baltimore, and it may have been there that he really began to ‘stand on’ God’s promises as a 30-year old. He later became a Methodist minister, while continuing to involve himself in writing and publishing hymnals, novels, and textbooks in the sciences he had taught in Pennsylvania. Later, he studied medicine and became a physician in Baltimore, a profession he continued until his death in 1928. But, the principle he’d learned while healing from a weak heart was apparently something he never forgot – that all he needed was what God had already assured him could be his. He vowed to use himself for Him from that healing point forward. Was it an accident that Carter was able to do a variety of things well until he left his earthly life at 79 years old? He was a vivid example of loyalty to the God whose promises he trusted.

Carter’s hymn words for each verse begin with ‘Standing on the Promises’, a repetition that some have suggested was a reflection of the composer’s military education. ‘Don’t doubt’, you can sense Carter commanding. He’s not a God who’ll waffle. Just attach yourself to Him, and take in this part of His character as an integral element of your own makeup. Russell Carter joined this army willingly, and look at all that he was empowered to do. The hymn’s pace has a martial quality, but His is an all-volunteer army – no conscripts here. If I use Him as my foundation – not unlike a bass drum, hammering out a consistent beat – my life has certainty, though it might take turns others resist. Are you ready to be a soldier?  

     

Information on the song’s composer was obtained from the books “Amazing Grace – 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions”, by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1990; “101 More Hymn Stories”, by Kenneth Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1985; “The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs”, by William J. and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, 2006; and “Then Sings My Soul”, by Robert J. Morgan, Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2003. 

The hymn’s story is found here: http://www.sharefaith.com/guide/Christian-Music/hymns-the-songs-and-the-stories/standing-on-the-promises-the-song-and-the-story.html

Link to all five verses and refrain of song that Kelso wrote: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/s/t/a/n/standotp.htm

Above All Else -- Kirk and Deby Dearman

Kirk and Deby Dearman were missionaries in Brussels, Belgium in 1988, during the time that “Above All Else” was written and published. So, they were seeing the world, perhaps as they’d never seen it before. Placing oneself and family in a vocation with a mission for the Lord…can you imagine another profession with more commitment to the cause of Christ? There’s lots of imagery in the song that conjure up mental pictures of warfare, suggesting it was a difficult period for them, whether physical or otherwise. Here’s what they say was going on, writing in their own words (although in the third person), which they shared with me on March 6, 2010.  

Above All Else came spontaneously - at least the first part! - while Kirk & Deby were living as "musicianairies" in Europe. The dollar had dropped suddenly and they had just lost their main source of support in the same month. So they had to move out of their apartment, stay with friends, and store belongings in the friend's garage. Not long after, the garage flooded in a heavy rainstorm and most of their belongings were damaged. Among those belongings was their electric piano. Then the call came to write for a worship project. The only piano they could get to was an old clunky, out of tune relic. Kirk sat down and began to pray for God's heart in the midst of their own turmoil. Deby started praying and then singing, "You are exalted, Lord, above all else. We place You at the highest place, above all else." Kirk said, "Wait! Sing that again!" She did . . . and the rest of the song was quickly written on the spot. Kirk and Deby then began singing the song in outdoor concerts- most notably in the downtown city square of Brussels, Belgium, the capital of Europe, where they lived, as a declaration of God's sovereign lordship over every city and nation, and over their own lives and circumstances.

I have been a foreign missionary just once, for a week. It was exhausting, at least partially from the lack of sleep I got that week. But, it was also a little scary to know I was seen everywhere I went, because of the reputation of the on-site missionaries, as a visiting ‘ambassador for Christ’. A misstep wasn’t really allowed, at least in my mind. To exalt the Lord ‘above all else’, and ‘so the world will know’ who God is – that’s a pretty BIG responsibility. Can I say that every day where I live? Everywhere I stand, and everywhere I go, as the song has me vocalize? Some might say Europe has become darkened and cold to Christendom in the modern age, in contrast to earlier times. Genuine armor is something I’d be looking for, but the Dearmans’ words indicate they held out the Lord as their standard for protection. God comes through for us, the Dearmans’ song reminds me. Nothing can withstand His light and the saving blood of Jesus. In most battles I can think of (the movie ‘Patton’ is on the tube as I write this), more blood is spilled by the losers (like the soldier in the picture), while the victors try to minimize this. Jesus did the opposite. Jesus’ mighty warrior status prevails precisely because He bleeds for me. Now, how can I fail to place Him, the eternal soldier, above all else ?

Biographic information on Kirk and Deby Dearman and their music ministry can be found at the following site: http://www.cometothequiet.com/aboutkirk.cfm

Soldiers of Christ, Arise – Charles Wesley

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes (Ephesians 6:11) What can one say about Charles Wesley, who filled volumes to express himself? Universities, seminaries, conferences, and hospitals are named after him, and his name is in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. If that doesn’t tell you enough about him, you can even read his journal online (see the address below). So, there’s no excuse for not knowing something about Charles Wesley. Pick up a songbook, find a Charles Wesley song...most of them are probably familiar, so it’s hard to imagine never having sung a Wesley tune, either. This Anglican and ‘first Methodist’ was prolific, producing by many estimates over 6,000 hymns.

It’s not surprising that a Methodist, a creature of obedience and godly habits, should turn out so many hymns. Charles Wesley’s adherence to a systematic lifestyle of worship and study earned him the name ‘Methodist’ in 1729. Like a disciplined soldier, following the orders of his commander, Wesley’s life-song mirrors what we can sing in his composition ‘Soldiers of Christ, Arise’. The song Wesley has given us was written in 1749. It’s said that Wesley wrote it with the original title “The Whole Armor of God”, and used it to confirm new converts. The song’s martial message is impossible to miss. Charles and his brother John, as notable a preacher as Charles was a hymn-writer, are jointly considered the founders of the Methodist movement, one which its followers joined in spite of its accompanying danger. Beginning in 1739, Methodists routinely experienced persecution because its ministers preached without being formally ordained or licensed by the Anglican Church. Many people were stoned, beaten, or threatened, and their homes vandalized. After a decade of this, Charles Wesley’s song shows how he must have steeled himself for the onslaught. Its 24 verses tell us the fight we’re in is lengthy, even exhausting (see them all in the link I’ve listed below).

How do I endure injustice? Do I arise and face my tormentors with resolve, with spiritual confidence in God’s providence? I must admit, I gripe too often. I’d rather not have troubles, and when I do, I have lots of venom to deliver to the nearest person, even if its an innocent bystander. I seem to need to vent my spleen. Wesley’s song reminds me that I need to be strong, that my faith is not about having an easy time. If I’m feeling vulnerable, and I yell ‘Ouch!’ a lot, maybe I need to reexamine my toolkit, the things God has given me for my protection. Is your armor on? Is God’s panoply at your disposal, through prayer and study? Do you lean on your fellow soldiers for advice and support? All these are yours and mine. I think I’ll go re-read Ephesians 6, and remind myself what a soldier should be doing…

Charles Wesely’s journal: http://wesley.nnu.edu/charles_wesley/journal/index.htm

All 24 verses of ‘Soldiers of Christ, Arise’ are at the following website: http://nethymnal.org/htm/s/o/soldiers.htm

brief biographies of Charles and John Wesely: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Wesley http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley

longer biographies: http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biorpcwesley.html

information about the song: http://songsandhymns.org/hymns/detail/soldiers-of-christ-arise

“The Complete Book of Hymns: Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs”, by William J. and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2006.