Faith Is the Victory -- John H. Yates

His words resound like those of a soldier, one who’s just heard the general’s pep talk before the battle with the army’s sworn enemy. This otherwise mild-mannered former shoe salesman and hardware store manager must have had something burning deep inside though, even if there’s no real evidence that he ever experienced the threat of an actual adversary’s bullets and war’s bloodlust. (Certainly not like this scene pictured from Custer’s Last Stand in 1876, an episode that took place in Yates lifetime.) 
Just what was John Henry Yates doing and 

thinking in 1891 when he composed “Faith is the Victory” ?

From what we can discover in record books, only a few details emerge about John Henry Yates that shed light on this 54-year old’s state of mind at the time of this hymn’s origin. He had grown up in the Civil War era in Batavia, New York, but apparently did not serve in that war because of a foot disability. Nevertheless, this defining war’s episodes probably imprinted upon Yates many unforgettable images, even if from a distance as a civilian during the conflict. Had he heard stories from peers his own age (also in their ‘20’s) during the 1861-65 period? That era had other songs develop with vivid war imagery, and he was probably familiar with them. By the time he wrote “Faith…”, apparently decades after the war, he’d become a newspaper editor, though writing had been his avocation or his part-time occupation for some time already. He must have been an avid bible student too, for much of his prose seems rooted in various scripture, from Song of Songs in the Old Testament, to three books of the New Testament -- Ephesians, 1 John, and finally Revelation. It’s not surprising to learn then, that he’d had a ministerial background with the Methodists and Baptists for many years before writing the words of this hymn. What specific episode spawned the words he recorded are not known. But, like the president whose Civil War remarks on many occasions drew from the Bible for inspiration, Yates too found insight that resonated in his spirit from its pages. Though the war may have been long over, its impact continues even today, and so does the Bible. Two great sources – a war and revelatory messages from scripture – should be enough to motivate any writer.

What spiritual struggles or opportunities might have been affecting John Henry Yates as he lived in his sixth decade? Why didn’t Yates write something happy and light, in keeping with the ‘Gay-90s’ of his era? Was he instead shaped in some way by the Indian wars in the western U.S. following the War Between the States? Perhaps it is more likely that Yates, being of a spiritual mind, would have been aware of what’s called the Third Great Awakening, a protestant revival among America’s churches that spurred phenomenal growth. That would have excited many writers, eager to encourage evangelism. Many people were open to God’s message then, in contrast to today’s American culture, some might say. But, are the two periods really that different? Have we experienced battles today? Is the Bible still in print? You know the answers. They were present in John Henry Yates’ memories. How about yours?

The following website has a soundtrack for the song and all four original verses: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/f/a/i/faithist.htm

See some scant information on the song and its composer discussed above in The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs by William J. Petersen and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, 2006.  Also, see Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1990.

Also see here some brief information on the composer: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/y/a/t/yates_jh.htm

Also see a great blog entry by another hymnody enthusiast on the song here: http://drhamrick.blogspot.com/2013/10/faith-is-victory.html

See these links for some background on 1890s era: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1890s

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Great_Awakening