October 14, 2005

Have faith in God –
And pray for His kingdom’s sure increase;
Have faith in God –
That war may end in the reign of peace;
Have faith in God –
For the day when pain and death shall cease.
Have faith, dear friend, in God.

A Charge to Keep I Have

Charles Wesley, 1707-1788

    As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Ephesians 4:1.

    Charles Wesley is said to have been inspired to write the text for this hymn while reading Matthew Henry's commentary on the book of Leviticus. In his thoughts on Leviticus 8:35, Henry wrote, "We shall every one of us have a charge to keep, an eternal God to glorify, an immortal soul to provide for, one generation to serve."
    This hymn text first appeared in Wesley's Short Hymns on Select Passages of Holy Scriptures, published in 1762. It was printed under the title "Keep the Charge of the LORD, That Ye Die Not".
    This hymn text reflects the strength and zeal of the early Methodists. John Wesley once remarked upon hearing of his followers' persecution: "Our people die well." On another occasion a physician said to Charles Wesley, "Most people die for fear of dying, but I never met with such people as yours. They are none of them afraid of death, but calm and patient and resigned to the last."
    Being a Christian who worthily represents the Lord has never been and will never be a life of ease. It requires our very best, the total commitment of our lives.

A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify,
A never-dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky.

To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfill:
O may it all my powers engage
To do my Master’s will!

Arm me with jealous care,
As in Thy sight to live;
And O Thy servant, Lord, prepare
A strict account to give!

Help me to watch and pray,
And on Thyself rely,
Assured, if I my trust betray,
I shall for ever die.

Have Faith in God by H.M.S. Richards, Used by Permission