Leaning on the everlasting arms

We know that because Jesus lives, He defeated death for all time and paid the price for our sins! We have a wonderful future in store for us! This changes our outlook on each day and we know that God will help us handle whatever comes in life. He will also fill us with a great sense of inner joy. A great song that highlights these important ideas is, “Because He Lives,” by Bill and Gloria Gaither.

God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus,
He came to love, heal, and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.
​
Because He lives I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.
 
And then one day I’ll cross the river,
I’ll fight life’s final war with pain;
And then as death gives way to victory,
I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives.

​A few of the comments on a YouTube video of a great rendition of this song demonstrate the impact of knowing that Jesus lives!

       
​“My grandfather passed away today, he had the biggest impact on my life and showed me the correct way to live life as a Christian man. We played this song for him every day leading up to his passing. It was one of his favorite Gospel songs. I find peace in knowing he is with our lord Jesus and is dancing with his family.”
 
“I sang with you all the way through. I am 84, and still singing and praising our wonderful Savior.”

​God’s love in our lives brings great peace. When we know we can lean on Him for strength and encouragement, each day becomes more manageable. The hymn, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” was written as a result of an epiphany based on the text of Deuteronomy 33:27. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Anthony Showalter was a gospel music composer and teacher. He wrote the hymn with pastor Elisha Hoffman. Showalter received letters from two of his former students saying that their wives had died. When writing letters of consolation to these students, Showalter was inspired by Deuteronomy 33:27 and wrote the lyrics to the hymn with help from Hoffman. The hymn describes how we can rely on strength from God and have inner joy and peace throughout life.

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
what a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
leaning on the everlasting arms.
 
Refrain:
Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
leaning, leaning,
leaning on the everlasting arms.
 
O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
leaning on the everlasting arms;
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
leaning on the everlasting arms.
 
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
leaning on the everlasting arms.
 

Reference:
Stohlmann, M.  (2020). The world's greatest future. ​Seattle, WA:KDP.