Comment on a Hymn

'Like a River Glorious'

Is this hymn for real? It sounds too Pollyanna.

Like a river glorious, is God’s perfect peace,

Over all victorious, in its bright increase;

Perfect, yet it floweth, fuller every day,

Perfect, yet it groweth, deeper all the way.

Perfect peace? Fuller every day? On this planet? In this life?

And that is followed up with this.

Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,

Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;

Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,

Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.

Really? No worry or care? Are you sure? Is this actually a hymn that we can honestly sing? Is it even close to true?

But then, there's the refrain. Good thing, too. Now we have a little clarity about what the hymn writer was getting at.

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest

Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

This hymn is the author's reflection on a bit of Scripture.

​You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3

So, the hymn - and its words about perfect peace and all the rest - may not be quite so Pollyanna after all. The last verse helps by including the fact of our trials.

Every joy or trial falleth from above,

Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;

We may trust Him fully all for us to do.

They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.

In all of this, the author is believing that promise of God in Isaiah. And that's what we sing about. Perfect peace is real. It's real because it's promised. It's promised to all who entrust themselves to Jesus, particularly when the hard times come. This is a hymn that we can sing - that is, if we believe the promise.