The hymn “How Firm a Foundation” was written sometime in the 1700’s. The author of the hymn is not known, but its first appearance was in a Baptist hymnal from 1787. According to Then Sings My Soul, a book about hymn origins written by Robert J. Morgan, the song was originally published under the title “Exceedingly Great and Precious Promises”, and had a total of seven stanzas.
The original title is a quotation from 2 Peter 1:3-5, “…His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” The first stanza establishes the truth that God’s word is a sufficient foundation for our faith. Each remaining stanza contains promises revealed in that word. Consider the following verses to the song, with the passages that inspired them.
Fear not; I am with thee. O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid.
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee,
And cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, Shall be thy supply.
The flames shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you” (Isaiah 43:2)
“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
(cf. Revelation 3:18; 1 Corinthians 3:9-14).
The soul that on Jesus Hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not Desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell Should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, No never forsake.
“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6).
The first verse of the song likewise echoes the sentiment of scripture:
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith In His excellent Word!
What more can He say Than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge To Jesus have fled?
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
The apostle Paul revealed in Ephesians 1:3 that God, “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” We are told, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (vs. 8). This final promise, of a hope in Heaven following our lives on this earth (cf. John 14:2-3), sustains us during our pilgrimage here on this earth. As we labor and toil, we have a firm foundation — the promises of God, given in His word.
