“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. Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms. Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.” Elisha Hoffman and Anthony Showalter wrote this hymn in 1887 based on the Scripture Deuteronomy 33:27 “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” The image of a father holding his newborn is powerful. This is a time when we long to feel SECURE – safe, stable and free from fear or anxiety; not subject to threat; certain to remain or continue safe and unharmed. From a spiritual perspective, the first definition of secure in the dictionary may be the prerequisite to the others: fixed or fastened (on God) so as not to give way, become loose, or be lost. Our sense of security is found only in Jesus.
We trust God to fulfill His purpose for us. As we lean on His everlasting arms, He will send help from Heaven to rescue us. Our security comes from Him. “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. Leaning, safe and secure from all alarms. Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.”