It Is No Secret

Words: Carl Stuart Hamblen (b. Oct. 20, 1908; d. Mar. 8, 1989)
Music: Carl Stuart Hamblen

Note: The link below provides the story of Stuart Hamblen’s conversion, and the interesting account of how this song came to be written. The Cyber Hymnal does not have a page on the song itself, but has a brief note on Mr. Hamblen.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

There are some things we know about God and His works, but many more things that are beyond our reach. To look at the world of nature with an unprejudiced eye is to be aware that there is a God, and that He is powerful (Rom. 1:20). But most of what we have learned about the Almighty has come to us through the inspired revelation we call the Holy Bible. There, the Lord has revealed precisely what we need to know in order to live to please Him. As Moses put it:

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Deut. 29:29

“Secret things”? Yes, there are still unknowns. (The Bible uses some form of the word “secret” 93 times.) And another word that suggests hidden things is “mystery.”

Many of us enjoy reading mystery stories. A “mystery” is something that is secret, or obscure, that is to be revealed during the story. In the Scriptures, this word is used more than two dozen times, and it has special theological significance. A Bible mystery is: A sacred secret, some operation or plan of God that was previously unknown, but now at last has been revealed. The biblical mysteries are usually things that were hidden in Old Testament times, but unveiled in the New. For example:

• In Matthew 13, the Lord Jesus speaks of the mystery form of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 13:11). It was not understood earlier that there would be a period of time between Christ’s first advent and His return. Christ taught that the kingdom of heaven on earth would have some unique features, during the absence of the King.
• There was also the mystery of the church as the spiritual body of Christ, made up of saved Jews and Gentiles united as one (Eph. 3:1-11; 6:19; Col. 4:3).
• The rapture of the saints at the end of the Church Age was another mystery, not seen in Old Testament times, but since revealed through the apostles (I Cor. 15:51-52; I Thess. 4:14, 17).

There are quite a number of these “sacred secrets” uncovered in the New Testament. But still we must confess there are many things we don’t know. In the words of Job, “Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him” (Job 25:14). However, it is counterproductive to dwell on things that are beyond our reach, when so many great truths are presented to us.

John writes: “This is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (I Jn. 5:11-13). We can know we’re saved. That’s no secret! Paul writes to Timothy, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day [i.e. the day of Christ’s return]” (II Tim. 1:12).

This distinction between what is still secret, and what we now know for certain, is the subject of Stuart Hamblen’s popular gospel song It Is No Secret. Whatever our trial might be, whatever burden we carry, whatever struggle we face, God, in His grace, can meet our need. What if “someone slipped and fell,” when tempted (Stanza 1)? What if we lack courage or strength? God has the answer. Mr. Hamblen’s words, “There is no power can conquer you while God is on your side” (Stanza 2) are an accurate reflection of what the Bible teaches. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31).

Praise the Lord, His throne room is always accessible to struggling believers. There we can “obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15-16). As the refrain of the song puts it:

It is no secret what God can do.
What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you.
With arms wide open, He’ll welcome you–
It is no secret what God can do.

Questions:

1. What are some of the things about the Lord that you “know” for certain?
2. How do these things encourage you?

Links:

• 20 October 1908 – Stuart Hamblen Born
• Stuart Hamblen (The Cyber Hymnal)