Verse 1

Blessed assurance; Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

Refrain

This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

Verse 2

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Blessed assurance is one of those precious hymns that can pop into mind at any time. It makes a great lullaby and sounds just as glorious with the swell of a pipe organ. It holds a special place in the hearts of many, yet is another one of those hymns where certain lines and verse are less memorable than the tune and refrain. Yet Blessed Assurance has a lot to offer the attentive congregant.

The text of this hymn is often seen as a wonderful reminder of how amazing it is that we are saved. For the most part, I don’t disagree as I’m sure this is much of what Fanny Crosby had in mind. For me, however, there are three lines that stick out in this hymn, especially when set against what most see as the central point. Those lines are, “Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine,” “praising my savior all the day long,” and “perfect submission, perfect delight.”

“Why these three lines?” you ask. It is because they point at the fuller picture of what our story is in Christ, and it is something often ignored. First, the concept of foretaste indicates the acknowledgement that what we have here, even the assurance itself, is but a glimpse of eternity. We ought not rest in the here and now because we have not finished the race.

Second, the refrain claims that the singer is praising all day long. How often could any of us say we do this? Now, understand that I don’t think praising here refers to merely singing or the like, rather it is the sense that through our thoughts and actions we are striving to do God’s will.

Finally, I’ll bet most people have completely forgotten the phrase, “perfect submission, perfect delight.” I think that mostly because these days we don’t care for the word submission and the baggage it has in tow. In fact, we like to think of our relationship with God as more of a partnership. Jesus is our friend, the Holy Spirit is a constant companion, and someday we will get to throw the pigskin around with our heavenly Father. But scripture paints a different picture, one in which God is set apart, Christ is a perfect example and sacrifice, and the Holy Spirit is a guide and counselor. Our role in relationship to Him is complete obedience, or submission. It is only through that stance that we can be granted perfect delight.

How, then, does it all work together? Well, for starters, we have assurance of God’s love for us through the atoning death of Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. However, assurance is not the same as resting on one’s laurels. The assurance we are given, if truly imprinted on our heart, ought to make us desire to be submissive, obedient servants. It is the natural outflowing of our love for God and His love filling us.

Let a servant’s heart be your story and your song.

SDG,

Paul Hart Cochran