Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
leaning on the everlasting arms;
what a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain:
Leaning, leaning,
safe and secure from all alarms;
leaning, leaning,
leaning on the everlasting arms.

O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
leaning on the everlasting arms;
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
leaning on the everlasting arms.

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
leaning on the everlasting arms.
— Anthony J. Showalter and Elisha A. Hoffman (1887)

In 1887, Professor Anthony J. Showalter, a music teacher who traveled and taught music across rural America, returned home after a particular class to find two letters from former students. Despite the differences in the letters and the students who wrote them, the words carried a haunting message: the wives of each student had passed away and were buried on the same day.

Overwhelmed with grief, Showalter sought solace in writing a consolation letter. He grappled with the profound pain of such a tragedy and wondered how to offer comfort and find divine grace in those moments.

Showalter’s search led him to the end of Deuteronomy, where Moses delivered a final blessing for Israel before ascending Mount Nebo to view the Promised Land before his death. The verse that resonated with him was 33:27, “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

Recognizing the emotional connection his former students might have with music, Showalter composed a single refrain, which we now know as the refrain of this very song. He then approached his friend and colleague, Elisha Hoffman, a writer and hymnist, and asked him to write the stanzas for his refrain. Elisha, delighted by the opportunity, eagerly sent the completed song back to Showalter. Once Showalter composed the tune, the finished hymn was born.

The hymn quickly spread across denominations for its message of comfort in times of grief, and remains popular today.