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keep on believing

Keep on Believing

Words: Lucy Booth-Hellberg (b. Apr. 28, 1868; d. July 18, 1953), and Mildred Duff (b. ____, 1862; d. Dec. 8, 1932)
Music: Lucy Booth-Hellberg

Lucy Booth-Hellberg

Note: Years ago, I spotted this thoughtful gospel song in the Living Hymns hymnal. Editor Alfred Smith simply gave the author and composer as M.D. and L.M.B. respectively. For some time, I knew no more about the origin of the song. Gradually, I’ve picked up more information.

Smith edited the words and arranged the tune of the original. He changed a word in line three of the second stanza. Instead of “But in the hardness…” Smith has “But in the testings…” Better, I think, but less fortunate is his omission of a secondary chorus that goes with the second, third, and fourth stanzas. Rejoicing in the Lord is a great step of faith, and the original has:

Keep on rejoicing, Jesus is near,
Keep on rejoicing, there’s nothing to fear;
Keep on rejoicing, This is the way,
Songs in the night as well as the day.

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

Lucy Milward Booth (L.M.B.), pictured above, was the daughter of William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army. In her teens, Lucy developed some kind of serious lung infection. Those were the days before drugs to treat such things, and it was a great worry, especially to her mother. The doctor had been summoned to their home. It was an anxious time, but Lucy was determined to keep trusting in God.

While the doctor was speaking to her mother, Lucy went to the piano and apparently created the tune for this hymn. She also worked on the writing of the words. It was the first song she had ever written. Later, Commissioner Mildred Duff (M.D.) helped her with the rhyming of the words but, Lucy Booth says, “The thoughts contained in them was quite my own, and sprung from the incident [i.e. her illness].”

In October of 1894, Lucy married Salvation Army Colonel Emmanuel Daniel Hellberg. As was the custom of the Booth family in those days, they took a hyphenated last name, Booth-Hellberg. They went on to have five children. The Booth-Hellbergs were appointed to France and Switzerland, and ministered in India for a time. After the death of her husband in 1909, Lucy became the territorial commander for the Army, for Denmark, Norway, and South America.

In 1933, Lucy Booth-Hellberg was given the Salvation Army’s most prestigious award, the Order of the Founder, “for long and exceptional service under peculiarly difficult circumstances, together with her readiness at all times to answer to the call of duty.”

The song is honest about the struggles Christians go through in life. There’s nothing here that smacks of such false reassurance as, “Just trust in Jesus and all your troubles will be over.” When problems mount, our faith can sometimes waver. The feelings of the moment may cloud our spiritual sight. But even when we falter and feel we’ve lost our way, the Lord has not. The Bible says, “If our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things” (I Jn. 3:20).

What are some certainties the believer can cling to in times of trial? One is that God answers prayer (Heb. 4:15-16), and we can trust Him either to deliver us from the trouble, or give us the grace needed to sustain us through it (II Cor. 12:9).

A second confidence we can have is that God will bring good from our difficulty in some way. The Lord is the supreme master of turning seeming disasters into blessing (Rom. 8:28). The cross of Christ is the perfect example of how God can turn a seeming tragedy into a triumph.

Third, we can be assured that no trial we face will last forever. There is no pain or death in the heavenly kingdom (Rev. 21:4), and with the dawning of eternity we’ll also see our troubles in a clearer light (II Cor. 4:17), and praise the Lord for what He did through them.

Finally, we can keep on believing these things because God is God. “A God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He” (Deut 32:4; Jn. 17:17).

(1) When you feel weakest, dangers surround,
Subtle temptations, troubles abound;
Nothing seems hopeful, nothing seems glad,
All is despairing, often-time sad.

Keep on believing, Jesus is near,
Keep on believing, there’s nothing to fear;
Keep on believing, this is the way,
Faith in the night, as well as the day.

(4) Let us press on then; never despair,
Live above feeling, victory’s there;
Jesus can keep us so near to Him,
That nevermore shall our faith grow dim.

Questions:

  1. Have you had the experience of deep discouragement and faltering faith? What did you do about it?
  2. Check out the full hymn on Hymnary.org. What expressions in it are especially meaningful or helpful to you just now?

Links:

Today in 1785 – Samuel Ecking Died

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Today we’ll take a quick look at several songs by more obscure hymn writers.

Samuel Ecking was a Baptist believer born in 1757 at Shrewsbury, England. He contributed hymns to the Gospel Magazine, under the odd signature “S. E-k-g.” His hymn Peace, Troubled Soul is still found in some books.

Peace, troubled soul, thou need’st not fear;
Thy great Provider still is near;
Who fed thee last, will feed thee still:
Be calm, and sink into His will.

The Lord, who built the earth and sky,
In mercy stoops to hear thy cry;
His promise all may freely claim;
Ask and receive in Jesus’ Name.

(2) Data Missing – Keep on Believing

Occasionally I want to include songs for which dates are lacking–or other information. For a time it seemed to me there was some confusion as to the authorship of the song Keep on Believing. A Salvation Army publication (Salvation Army Songs of Faith) credits the lyrics to Lucy Booth-Hellberg. But the only hymnal I have seen that includes it is Living Hymns, edited by Alfred Smith. He credits the words to “M.D.” and the tune to “L.M.B.”–noting also that he has edited the text and arranged to tune.

I contacted Smith’s son, but he could shed no more light on the origin of the hymn. However, a correspondent passed on the following information to me, which seems to clear up the mystery. “L.M.B” is Lucy Milward Booth (1868-1953), the daughter of William and Catherine Booth, who wrote the song when she was 17 (in 1885, before she married Mr. Hellberg). Though the message of the song was her own, she was assisted somewhat with the rhyming by “M.D.”–Mildred Duff–who later became a Commissioner in the Salvation Army.

I include a bit of the song here because it seems to fit the theme of Peace Troubled Soul above, and it is very honest about the struggles through which we sometimes go. At such times, our emotions may mislead us. God’s care doesn’t waver according to our feelings of the moment. “If our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things” (I Jn. 3:20).

When you feel weakest, dangers surround,
Subtle temptations, troubles abound;
Nothings seems hopeful, nothing seems glad,
All is despairing, often times sad.

Keep on believing, Jesus is near,
Keep on believing, there’s nothing to fear;
Keep on believing, this is the way,
Faith in the night as well as the day.

If all were easy, if all were bright,
Where would the cross be? and where the fight?
But in the testings God gives to you,
Chances for proving what He can do.

(3) Today in 1893 – Isaiah Baltzell Died

Isaiah Baltzell was born near Frederick City, Maryland, in 1832. He published a number of books of sacred song, and wrote some himself, sometimes contributing the music, other times authoring both words and music. He was partnered, in this endeavour, with editor and songwriter Edmund Lorenz. Of interest is his song The Missionary’s Farewell, to be sung on the occasion indicated by the title.

The second-to-last line of the lyric suggests that the song may have been first applied to a missionary heading to Africa. However, with a bit of creative adjustment, the name of another country could be substituted.

Far away, beyond the sea,
Where the fields are bright and fair,
There’s a call, a plaintive plea;
I must hasten to be there.

Let me go, I cannot stay,
’Tis the Master calling me;
Let me go, I must obey;
Native land, farewell to thee.

Hark! I hear the Master say,
“Up, ye reapers! why so slow?”
To the vineyard far away,
Earthly kindred, let me go.

Bear me on, thou restless sea,
Let the winds the canvas swell;
Afric’s shore I long to see,
Native land, farewell, farewell.

4) Today in 1940 – William Hewlett Died

William Henry Hewlett was a composer, organist, and choral conductor, who has a number of connections with my own family. For many years, he was the organist of the Centenary United Church, in Hamilton, Ontario, where I was born. Each Saturday afternoon, for twenty-five years, he gave a recital on the church’s great Casavant pipe organ. I heard my parents speak of him, and believe they attended some of those concerts.

Mr. Hewlett was also one of the founders of the Mendelssohn Oratorio Choir, in Toronto, and was its first accompanist. He was on the editorial committee of The Hymnary, the hymn book of the United Church of Canada, produced in 1930. Check out his tune Somerset, for John Newton’s hymn, Dear Shepherd of Thy People, Hear.

Dear Shepherd of Thy people, hear;
Thy presence now display;
As Thou hast given a place for prayer,
So give us hearts to pray.

William Hewlett died six months before I was born, and is buried in Hamilton, in the same cemetery as my father and mother.