I Know Whom I Have Believed

Prison changed the life of Daniel Whittle, for it was while he was held prisoner during the American Civil War, that he committed his life to the Lord. After the war, Whittle became a successful businessman, but he never forgot how God had saved him.

Born on this day in 1840, Whittle later wrote a hymn that reflected the confidence he found in God: “I Know Whom I Have Believed.” Whittle confessed that there were many things he did not understand about salvation or about God and His plans. He wrote, “I know not why God’s wondrous grace to me He hath made known.”

He knew that he’d committed many sins in his life, and he felt “unworthy.” He didn’t know why “Christ in love redeemed me for His own.” He had experienced God’s forgiveness and peace, yet didn’t know how “this saving faith” had been imparted to him or how simply believing in God’s Word “wrought peace within my heart.”

Although he had experienced the Spirit’s work in his life, he confessed that he didn’t know “how the Spirit moves, convincing us of sin,” or how He revealed “Jesus through the Word, creating faith in Him.” He didn’t know the future or “when my Lord may come, at night or noonday fair, nor if I’ll walk the vale with Him, or meet Him in the air.”

But one thing he did know: “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.”

Today, make sure that you have a strong, personal relationship with God. He is with you, and you can hope in Him. You can trust Him in every situation of life.