Él Me Sostendrá (He Will Hold Me Fast)

Song Story

A member of our church had sent the original words to “He Will Hold Me Fast” to me and our senior pastor, suggesting that this could be a good song for us to learn as a church. I forgot about the song for a while, but later pulled it out again when I was walking through a difficult personal season of doubt and uncertainty. I was wrestling with the hard questions of the faith and struggling to place my trust in the enduring power of God’s preserving grace.

John Piper’s sermon from T4G 2012 on Jude vv. 20-25 was a lifeline for me, and Jude 24 became an anchor for my soul in that trying time: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy...” It was at this time that I was beginning to try my hand at writing new tunes for old texts, mainly as a personal devotional exercise to help aid my own soul in seeking Christ. I pulled out “He Will Hold Me Fast” again and the words ministered to me deeply. I wanted to see the resurrection and return of Christ featured in the lyrics, since our hope is guaranteed by the reality that Christ has risen and is coming again.

I first shared the song with my wife and then with our pastor, and he suggested we should try singing it as a congregation. We introduced the song to CHBC early in 2013 and the church quickly owned the song and began singing it with joy (and really loud voices!) For anyone who is discouraged by the enormity of the work or by the apparent lack of fruit in any particular missions context, it reinvigorates us to know that God is in control and he will preserve us to the end!” - Matt Merker

For this Spanish recording, it was an honor to partner with our friends from Iglesia Bautista Ozama in the Dominican Republic. We have learned so much over the years from this congregation with their focus on Christ-exalting congregational singing, the importance of beautiful artistry in worship, and their commitment to training the next generation of musicians to use their gifts for the glory of the Lord.

We hope and pray that this rendition of "He Will Hold Me Fast," featuring Rogers Peralta, Noemí Guerrero, Lea Payano, and Carlos Garcia, is an encouragement to all our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the Spanish-speaking world.