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I remember liking this hymn as a child. Part of it was the lilting tune. Mostly, it was the sense of security and confidence it instilled in me. There were, and still are, many things I don’t understand about my faith.
While we walk with God through our days here on earth, there are spiritual unknowns. As 1 Corinthians 13:9 says, “For we know in part and we prophesy in part…” Our minds, limited by time and space and our frail human frames, cannot fully comprehend why our holy God even cares about us, or how Christ’s righteousness is imputed to our sinful selves.
Like the hymnwriter, we don’t fully understand how the Holy Spirit works. We know that He leads us, intercedes for us, and convicts us – but how? How to we come to recognize that still small voice? Without dangling our toes too deeply into the predestination vs. free will debate, why are some compelled to follow Christ, while others turn their backs on Him? What is God’s role and what is our role in becoming conformed to the image of His Son? (Romans 8:29)
We can’t know what the future holds. God ordained all our days before any of them came to pass (Psalm 139:16) but we aren’t privy to how they will play out; whether our lives will be filled with extraordinary joy, devasting sorrow or our expected share of ups and downs.
And the greatest unknown of all is when Christ will return in great power and glory, revealing Himself to the world as the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. Perhaps it will be in our generation. Perhaps many more generations will eagerly await His return.
“… but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with.” (! Corinthians 13:10). However, the day is coming when we will leave this world behind and join Christ in heaven, where we will be perfected. Then, we’ll be able to see everything clearly. It will all make sense. All our questions will be answered.
After recounting all the things he doesn’t know, D.W. Whittle (the writer) uses the chorus to affirm what he does know:
“But ‘I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him, against that day.’”
Other than the “but,” this hymn chorus is an exact quote of 2 Timothy 1:12, taken from the King James Version. It is a statement of confident expectation. If we have put our faith in Christ alone for our salvation, we can say with certainty we know who we believe. We know what God has already done for us – bringing us into His family when we were undeserving and calling us to live to His glory.
We have a confident expectation that God is storing up all those things we’ve done to His glory for the day we meet Him in eternity. No sacrifice we’ve made has escaped His notice. No tear we’ve shed has been lost. No service we’ve rendered with the right motives will be unrewarded. When our focus is on “glorifying God and enjoying Him forever” we store up treasures in heaven.
“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.” (Revelation 22:12)
