Scripture Verse

All the promises of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20

Introduction

Words & Mu­sic: Na­ta­lie A. Sleeth, 1986 (🔊 pdf nwc).

HYMN OF PROMISE
© 1986 Hope Pub­lish­ing Com­pa­ny
380 South Main Place, Carol Stream, IL 60188 (800-323-1049)
Used by per­mis­sion.

portrait
Natalie A. Sleeth (1930–1992)

Origin of the Hymn

Sleeth wrote this se­lect­ion in Feb­ru­ary 1985 as a cho­ral an­them, and lat­er adapt­ed it as a hymn. She wrote that she was:

…pondering the death of a friend (life and death, death and re­sur­rect­ion), pon­der­ing win­ter and spring (seem­ing op­po­sites), and a T. S. El­iot po­em which had the phrase, In our end is our be­gin­ning. These seem­ing­ly con­tra­dict­ory pairs led to the the­sis of the song and the hope­ful mes­sage that out of one will come the oth­er when­ev­er God choos­es to bring that about.

Natalie’s hus­band, Dr. Ron­ald Sleeth, heard Hymn of Pro­mise short­ly be­fore he died, and asked that it be sung at his fun­er­al.

Lyrics

In the bulb there is a flow­er;
In the seed, an ap­ple tree;
In co­coons, a hid­den pro­mise:
Butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of win­ter
There’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed un­til its sea­son,
Something God alone can see.

There’s a song in ev­ery si­lence,
Seeking word and me­lo­dy;
There’s a dawn in ev­ery dark­ness,
Bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the fu­ture;
What it holds, a mys­te­ry,
Unrevealed un­til its sea­son,
Something God alone can see.

In our end is our be­gin­ning;
In our time, in­fi­ni­ty;
In our doubt there is be­liev­ing;
In our life, eter­ni­ty,
In our death, a re­sur­rec­tion;
At the last, a vic­to­ry,
Unrevealed un­til its sea­son,
Something God alone can see.

illustration
Wikimedia Commons, User Fesoj

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