The story behind the hymn
Russell Kelso Carter wrote “Standing on the Promises”, and it was published in 1886 in Songs of Perfect Love by John Sweney and Carter. Carter was a professor at the Pennsylvania Military College, a Methodist preacher, and later a medical doctor.
The hymn appears in hundreds of hymnals and has been translated into languages including Spanish and Swahili.
Its strength is its simplicity: a repeated confidence that God’s word holds, whatever we feel.
The Scripture behind it
For however many are the promises of God, in him is the “Yes.”
2 Corinthians 1:20 (World English Bible)
Read the verse in full, and see also 2 Peter 1:4.
A short reflection
Feelings change. God’s promises do not. Write down one promise from Scripture that you need today, and stand on it for the week.
Faithful God, thank you that your word is sure. Teach me to rest on it. Amen.
The full words
Read the full words of this hymn, with tunes and scores, on Hymnary.org.
Read the full hymn text →Source for author, dates and public-domain status: Hymnary.org. Scripture quoted from the World English Bible (public domain).